The Browns won Saturday night. I know it’s just preseason and it doesn’t matter much, but it brought a smile to this struggling Cleveland fan. And as I curled up in my bed after a long night of flowing drinks, a cool wind danced through my window, tickling my nose and sending shivers running through my body. It’s getting cold outside.

The season is changing. The warmth and green of summer is giving way to the turning colors and cool evenings of fall. The soothing trickle of creeks and rivers during the summer will begin to increase in strength with the rains of fall.

The season is changing. The summer sweetness and pleasures of berries, peaches and cantaloupe will give way to the calming tastes of apples, pears and grapes. Summer meals of hamburgers and hot dogs will give way to soups and grilled cheeses. The smells of fresh-cut grass will give way to smells of crumbling leaves.

The season is changing. As I walk through the Hub, the line grows at Einstein Bros. Bagels with each confused freshman and each comfortable senior. Some are excited to begin and some are excited to finish. Even the buildings are teeming with excitement for the questions, thoughts and debates that will echo throughout campus. Classes are starting again. The university is coming back to life.

The season is changing. The fireside chats and warm swigs of wine during the summer will give way to long nights of drinking, bars and unbearable hangovers that question your determination to get up for class. The summer flings will end or, possibly, bloom to something greater with fall.

The season is changing. The Baseball playoffs, college football and the NFL soon will dominate the ESPN newscasts. Congress will return to work and the health care debate will reawaken, putting up political walls between people.

I’m reading “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau and a quote of his keeps wrapping around my head as I contemplate the changing seasons. He wrote, “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” My dog’s head pops up as I move back in my chair, hand upon my chin. I look over and think about the peaceful walks of summer, each step a breath, each sound a possible answer. My summer peace, gone for now. Life doesn’t wait, it is constantly changing. However, I also think about the cool walks of fall with the falling leaves tickling my arms, the beginning of new classes, and the sport and political debates over pumpkin ales.

The summer months have come to an end with its freedoms and vacations, but each season has its gifts. It’s being aware of these gifts, being aware of the changes – breathing them and living them – that allow life to slow down. I enjoyed the gifts of summer. But I am also excited for the gifts of fall.

Are you?

David Busch is a junior history and psychology major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].