Firsts and Lasts

The last leaves of Fall

There is a tree near the entrance to my home, near the Charles River, that I pass under in my daily comings and goings.  This mature weeping cherry tree is over 40 feet tall; its magnificence shows in spring with pink blossoms like cotton candy.  First blossoms of the season usher me from a winter mentality where the slow pace of a New England winter takes hold.  However, the first day over 50 degrees and the first daffodil blossom are a long way off. 

Instead, now when I look up into the bare branches of that weeping cherry tree, devoid of leaves and entering its own dormant slumber, I think not of firsts but of lasts. 

Our lives are bookended by firsts and lasts in an unending cycle of beginnings and endings.  I readily notice the first blossom on the trees along the Charles River but do I notice the last leaf fall?   For every tree there is going to be the one final leaf holding tight to summer memories of long days and warm nights.  We often celebrate the firsts of life but why don’t we celebrate the lasts?  I wish I were present when the last leaf fell from the weeping cherry tree by my front door.  What a graceful moment suspended in time. 

Like a skydiver jumping from an airplane I hear the last leaf yell from the top of its thousands of stomata lungs “ONE, TWO, THREE GO!”…Its stem detaches with vigor in a spiraling display of aerobatics.  Off it flies on the windy breath of fall.  This is the big moment.  Donned in ecstatic yellow the last leaf whirls and pirouettes redefining glamour, grace, and outlandish flamboyancy.  Freefall flight – who hasn’t dreamt of flying?  The last leaf beams with joy from vein to vein and laps up the sensual cool breezes of a life lived.  This is the climax of a leaf’s life – a leaf is born to fly. 

When I see a leaf fall I feel happy to be witnessing the embodiment of full potential reached.  This fall I’m celebrating the lasts – the last leaf fall, the last day over 50 degrees, the last hardy rose wilt.  Behind every last is, of course, a first.  First snowfall, first starlight winter night sky, first cozy fire in the fireplace, first frozen river, first… 

What to do, what to do?

Runners enjoy the warmth of a autumn day.

It’s the time of year to discover how to re-embrace the Charles River. In our current mid-season slump warm weather activity is decreasing as winter approaches – staying active with our parklands keeps us happy. You see, it’s been raining lately and with summer long gone, the colors of fall a recent sweet memory, and spring seemingly a millennia into the future we are unsure how to proceed.

If you’re from the Boston area this pre-winter slump is of no surprise to you – and if you hail from elsewhere just imagine the quintessential rainy New England Day: The clouds are a flat gray and the air is wet. With November moving forward each day is colder than the last. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the late autumn/early winter time of year – the encroaching cold reminds me of the upcoming holiday season and the nighttime sky twinkles with winter clarity – it’s just that this time of year is quiet along the Charles River. The droves of walkers, runners, and cyclists have dwindled, flowers have passed, leaves have fallen, and even those super athlete rowers tend to not brave the chilly waters. In a few months the dead of winter offers solitude and frozen beauty along the river – a moment of static preservation – but now, I sort of feel in between. So what to do?

Below are FIVE fun and creative ways to engage with the Charles River. More to follow in coming weeks:

1) Check the weather, layer up, brew a traveling-mug of tea, and get outside! – Obvious yes, but you’d forget how beautiful the Charles can be in the late afternoon with a setting sun as the coolness of evening descends. Bring along a thermos of tea, coffee, hot chocolate (or anything else you may desire) and find a bench to sit and watch the evening roll in.

2) Contact Logan at the Charles River Conservancy (lcw@thecharles.org) and he’ll send you some trash bags to collect trash during your next walk along the river. With vegetation dying-back trash along the shore is visible and easy to grab. If your mother would tell you to not pick up a suspect piece of trash – then don’t do it!

3) Keep yourself educated on the health of the Charles River – In winter months CRC and its partners analyze data from last summer’s water quality monitoring efforts. They will also plan for additional monitoring next summer and will begin the process of analyzing potential swim sites from an engineering and access standpoint. Look to www.thecharles.org for updates on the Swimmable Charles Initiative.

4) Hit the indoor pool – Want to participate in the 4th Annual 1-Mile Charles River Swim Race? With 8 months left to train you’ll have plenty of time to get into top physical condition!

5) Planning a family holiday photo? Head into the parklands for the perfect backdrop. May I suggest: Weeks Footbridge, Herter Memorial Garden, Mass. Ave Bridge, city view from Memorial Drive, Cambridge. Or, grab your camera, snap some beautiful pictures of the river and send them here to be posted.

Have ideas of your own? Send them to: lcw@thecharles.org