Weekend Assignment: Stop & Admire the Fall Colors

Here in the upper Midwest, we're seeing the last vestiges of Mother Nature's display of colors. There are still a few trees that are clutching their bright red leaves by the stems but with every rainy day and chilly evening, the branches lose their grips on their colorful friends.

If you're in an area of the country (or world for that matter) where there are deciduous trees, Captain Dapper has an assignment for you. It's an easy assignment that's designed to help hit the pause button on your go-go life and appreciate the world around you. This weekend, I want you to go out and soak up the autumn colors. Find a bright red tree and stand under it. Gaze up at the fiery canopy above you. Soon, that tree will be empty, its bare limbs shivering in the cold of winter. Soak up the vivid color while you can.

Remember when you were a kid? Did you ever rake a pile of leaves purely for the joy of jumping in them? Do you remember scooping up a handful of dried, crunchy leaves, throwing them up in the air and watching the wind carry them away? Ah, such simple joys!

Let's be kids this weekend. Let's reclaim the simple joy of playing in piles of leaves. Attach your cares to those leaves, toss them in the air and let the wind carry them away.

Image: Jason Loper