Fading Away

The moon looks full in the southwestern sky this morning. The air is cool and has that crispness of approaching autumn. By six am I am in slacks, shirt and tie and preparing for the first day of class at one of the colleges where I will be teaching this term. Although I still am scheduled for a lesson or two at Rutabaga in Madison, I can tell that summer is fading away.

This is always a bitter sweet time for me as my world moves along a cycle I know all too well. More than my birthdays, this change of season reminds my soul that another year has passed, albeit a good year; and I am thankful.

I pretty much got done what I'd hope to get done these past few months. I camped, got to symposiums, saw the grandchildren (more than once) and didn't get arrested. I met a lot of new people, most of them paddlers. I watched a lot of students "get it" and improve and took humble pride in knowing I had a little something to do with it.

As always, and if my health holds out, I will paddle right on through winter and into the next cycle of warm seasons. But for now, I have to go to school.

Paddle safe...

DS