cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog
There I stood, semi-conscious, waiting for the clerk at the Walgreens in Payson, AZ to finish entering the insurance info for the precious cold medicine– the magic pills I was counting on relieving the past 5 days of stupor from a cold that followed me home from Spain.
Finishing entering whatever numbers it takes to bring down the prices to my co-pay, Sarah smiled, thanked me for my patience, and added, “Isn’t this weather now lovely? Not so hot, not cold- I so enjoy this ‘in between’ time.”
You know as well as I that many times in these exchanges those on either side give a perfunctory, “How are you doing?” or “Have a great day”, but this felt really genuine.
So I smiled back and said “I love this time of year too, though I’m ready to be sitting in front of a warm fireplace.”
I had been muddling this same thought for a while.
Yes, of course Summer fades to Autumn which fades to Winter, yadda yadda. This “in between” time is not fixed to a date, it spans a stretch of time, and differens depending where you live. It’s when things feel in flux, a little bit of where things were before and things are going next, but it feels not well defined. You may not even notice it til it has passed.
I returned from traveling a few weeks. The breeze that blew was no longer the heat lick of summer here in the Arizona high country. The days are warm now, so that doors and windows are open, but right about now, 5:30 pm, the sun dipping down, there is a cool breeze coming, and the doors and windows are closed soon.
I might need a sweater but just as well need t-shirts in the day, and (when I get back into it) can still be running in shorts.
Its cool at night, enough for the heat to kick on a few times over night, but not cold enough to require burning wood in the stove.
cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog
We had snow last year before the end of October, though in the same day, the mid-day temperatures hit 70°F
Flowers are still blooming, leaves are mostly green, but the aspen are already starting their quick changeover. There are still green tomatoes on the vine, a few leaning to yellow, but no new flowers, and the squash plants have withered up. No more new veggies appearing in sight.
Like Sarah in Walgreens, I too enjoy this time, that tastes like yesterday and tomorrow in the same bite. It informs me that I live in a continuous spectrum of both time and the world around me, that all is a gradient of some sorts.
There are other parts of the in between-ness where the destination is not quite so determined… that’s a whole different kettle of fish.
Here’s to the in between-ness, life is full of it.
