This time of year is so pretty!! I think I already said (in a different blog) that I love autumn. But September and even October are sometimes still too warm for me, so I believe that November is actually the best month. Most days in November are not that cold yet. And the trees are really gorgeous, with their mix of green and yellow and orange and red. There is something a bit sad about this month, though. The days are quite short now. Sunset usually happens before 4:30pm in Sendai these days. And we often have to wear sweaters or jackets when we go outside, especially when it's windy.
Whenever the wind is strong in November, you can almost always see some leaves falling from the trees (like the picture here). That makes me think about the famous story "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf". Many Japanese people know this story. But I had never heard about it before I came to Japan. One day when I was living in Akita (maybe about 20 years ago), I had to attend an English Speech Contest. I remember that one of the Japanese students in the contest gave a presentation about Freddie. It was such a beautiful story. I might have even cried a little when I heard it. Today I'd like to share the story with you, in case you've never heard it before.
Freddie the leaf was born during the spring, and he lived on a tree with lots of other leaves. He had a friend named Daniel who was the biggest leaf on the tree. Daniel knew many things, and he taught Freddie about life. Freddie enjoyed being a leaf. He had a great time in spring, summer, and fall. People often visited his tree and relaxed there. But when autumn came and it got colder, the leaves changed color. Then one time on a windy fall day, something very scary happened. A few of the leaves were blown off the tree by the wind. Freddie didn't understand why those leaves left, so he asked Daniel about it. Daniel told Freddie about death, and explained that all living things must die someday.
Freddie had many questions, and Daniel did his best to answer him. But Daniel also said that Freddie shouldn't be scared. New leaves would come in the spring again. So... after a while, all the other leaves had fallen off the tree. Only Daniel and Freddie were still there. Then Daniel also fell off the tree. Finally, it became very cold and snow appeared for the first time. Freddie was the last leaf on the tree, and suddenly the wind pulled Freddie off the tree, too. When he fell down to the ground, he went to sleep.
By the time winter arrived, all the leaves were dead. However, spring always comes afterwards! Perhaps Freddie will wake up again, and become a new leaf somewhere. Nobody knows for sure. But life does return, and it's beautiful even if it also seems too short at times. Anyway, this story was written by a man named Leo Buscaglia (レオ・ブスカーリア). Here is his photo:
Have a happy Friday, everyone! If you don't like autumn or winter much, always remember than a new year will bring new life again soon!!!
- Peter 
