©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com
Leaves changing colors, a crispness in the air, cranberries and cider to spice up our taste buds – so many feel-goods can be found in fall.
Retailers may try to rush us into a bustling Christmas-time, but savor this season for what it offers. The bounty of beauty and sensory treasures present us an opportunity to look, taste, and enjoy those autumnal comforts from our memories and to explore new wonders.
Try a few of these feel-goods for fall:
Drive or walk around and marvel at the colorful trees. See which ones you can name or use 11 Trees with Great Fall Foliage photos to go on the hunt for specific ones!
Identify three flowers you discover blooming right now. These plant recognition apps may help.
Plan ahead; plant now for spring surprises. Better yet, gift a friend with spring-blooming bulbs to bring new life into 2021!
Enjoy the ABCs of fall fruits and vegetables: Apples and Arugula, Beets and Broccoli, Cranberries and Collards. (And, yes, I know beets are veggies!)
Visit a local orchard to pick pumpkins or apples. Perhaps you’ll even get to take an old-fashioned hayride.
Stoke the fire pit, cook smores, and share some campfire stories or just casual conversation.
Conduct your own pumpkin, apple or cranberry pie or cake bakeoff with family or friends. As you (and they) feel comfortable, have everyone quarter or half theirs and share it with another, or instead meet online and show off your fall baked goods.
Simmer apple cider and spices on the stove. Soak up the scent, then drink a toast to autumn.
Missing fair food? Try your hand at making your own with one of these Taste of Home recipes – or create your own. How hard can fried Twinkies be to make?
Experience a corn maze – the natural, outdoors alternative to the modern-day escape room. Check out how one couple designs and creates one on their farm each year.
Add fall décor to various rooms of your home. A display of tiny pumpkins and a variety of other squashes, bountiful cornucopias or fall flowers with their warm tones can bring the outdoors in.
Host a caramel apple decorating share among your family or friends on Zoom. Use your creativity to concoct a unique visual and tasty treat, and discover what toppings others choose to create theirs.
Find your favorite college football team’s games and cheer them on – even if you’re not one of those fortunate enough to be in the stands. Carve or draw your team’s logo or name on a pumpkin and put in on your front porch.
Put your creative juices to work and figure out how many ways you can use pumpkins and cranberries this fall. Remember though, you don’t have to limit their use to eating!
Open the windows and feel the fresh air, or soak up the fall ambiance in a porch rocker as you embrace the movement of the season.
Sit by the fireplace and read an uplifting book. No noise. No computers. No phones.
Use a touch of maple syrup on something – or everything!
Gather pine cones and craft a wreath from them. Make an extra for a friend.
Challenge a group of friends to create soups from seasonal vegetables and fruits. Host a Souper Saturday in a small distanced group or meet on Zoom to enjoy. Share your recipes.
Take a walk, hike or neighborhood stroll and try to spot at least seven different leaf shapes that have fallen. Use this Arbor Day Foundation tool or pull up a leaf chart to match a leaf to a type of tree! Compare with friend(s) which ones and how many you find.
Leaves are falling, shedding their pasts – what do you want to let go of now so new growth can come in the future?
- What do you like most about fall? Why?
- Which childhood memory (other than Thanksgiving or Trick-or-Treating) do you most associate with fall?
- What does fall remind you about God?
- In what new ways can you savor this season and allow its blessings to bring enjoyment?
“Yet he has not left himself without testimony:
He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Acts 14:17 NIV
Remember…
Life is Better When It’s Full – Joy-full, Thank-full, Purpose-full and Friend-full! ™