THE FIVE SEASONS

It seems to me, that after Labor Day the World quickens its pace. The time flies as in days and weeks and months. It is a time that we get occupied with the little time we have left for the year. We start the year in Winter, dealing with the dreariness of short dark days, wintry storms and ice with snow to send misery and fear into our collective hearts. Being a Northeasterner we expect this inconvenience and plow our way through it. Bleakness is everywhere.

But the back end of Winter starts to offer hope for the blooming of Spring, the coming of rain and flowers and occasional warmer days, even though Mather Nature sneaks in a little snow, and like the snows that appear in April, soon melt in the summer days of heat and humidity, suddenly and without warning, making one yearn for the days of Winter or at least Fall.

Then comes my favorite time of the year, Autumn, the days of color and relief from heat and humidity. Falsely ushered in at Labor Day, it recognizes the advent of Fall. It is still summer, but people like to think of Labor Day as the beginning of Fall. Autumn is where it ends for normalcy, as Labor Day becomes the clarion of the fifth and final season, Retail. Lining up the days we start with Halloween, plow into Thanksgiving and with a crescendo, reach Christmas and Hanukkah.

We have indeed become a godless society. The spirituality of holy days does not exist. Our social conscience, once based on faith is now based on sales, sales mean jobs, sales mean socializing, sales mean a brighter future and money to spend.

So, I wish you a happy Retail, may all your days be filled with %OFF coupons, bargain sales and of course, cents off.