There’s something irresistible about the crisp air and golden light of autumn, isn’t there? The leaves of the Blaze maples blaze red and orange like nature’s own confetti, reminding us that change can be stunning. Here’s where me and my best friend Sheree go GA-GA over the change of seasons! We’re just two individuals in the prime of our lives (or maybe past) — officially entering our “senior” years. Together we decided it was time for a rite of passage: senior photos.
Not the high school variety, mind you. Sheree and I are past the age of acne, awkward yearbook quotes, and first loves that last until the next period. We are just two friends—decades removed from high school but clearly still young at heart. Together we decided to head to the nearest state park for a round of senior photos with all the trappings of nostalgia and nuttiness. We’re both awkward by nature.
We figured, “Why let teenagers have all the fun?” I adjusted my flannel shirt, perfectly coordinating with the autumn leaves. I like to match even if it’s my lipstick color to my purse color. We decided that just because we’ve got mortgages doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a good “leaning-against-a-tree photo.”
I was leading Sheree to a stunning location to catch an autumn capture of her. She tripped but caught herself while grabbing for a tree branch.
“Are you okay, ” I gasped gaspingly?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. If leaves can fall gracefully, so can I.” My friend always finds the positive!
We pose by the little pond laughing like old friends who’ve shared more than a few inside jokes and adventures over the years. And let’s be honest, nothing says friendship like convincing each other to relive a teenage milestone decades and decades and decades after the fact.
Sheree strikes a pose against a tree. She gets the giggles so hard that she blurts out that she has to pee! That got me laughing and soon our faces were wet. It’s my turn so I opt for the thoughtful “gazing into the distance” stance while lying in a pile of colorful leaves.
She can’t keep a straight face for the life of her. “I think I got you in the photo but it’s hard for me to see.” Sheree always says that when she’s taking photos. It used to make me nervous but she always seems to get me in there somehow. The only collateral damage sometimes is that she may forget to get my foot in the frame or something.
It’s her turn to gaze. She’s not a gazer.
“You’ve got to channel your inner poet,” I tease as her face attempts to contort. “Pretend you’re contemplating the meaning of life—or at least your 401(k).”
As the camera clicks away, it’s hard to miss how much fun we’re having. It’s the type of unfiltered joy that can only come from years of friendship and the realization that it’s okay to laugh at life—even as we edge into our life’s winters – our wrinkles blazing like the colors on the maples.
One day after many autumns have passed and we are no longer here – someone will find our senior photos. Our hope is that they’ll too be moved to spend the day together doing the same. Find a friend or a whole group of ‘em. Take
your senior photos and be mightily aware that you still have the wherewithal to. That’s another one of the blessings you’ve been awarded. Take note!
Smile! Say, “Happy Fall Y’all!” (click)
What a pretty picture you make!
The Blonde on the Prairie is a lover of ND. She is an author and motivational speaker, owner of “Monkey Balls” food truck and Joyologist to the elderly, the disabled and, now, also to children wherever she is needed during the school year and beyond.
