Each leaf falls from its tree as an individual.
It’s a personal decision by the leaf to drop from its mother
tree and go its own way into the breeze.
Of course, when the leaf is no longer getting food from the
tree, when the sap has begun to retreat in the branches down to the trunk for
protection from the approaching winter, it gets the sign that it’s time to move
on.
Do leaves really WANT to drop from the tree or are they forced
by the changes in their lives? Do they worry about the drop? Will they be
smashed by a passing car or blown into some unfamiliar backyard?
Will they end up in a big pile with all their brothers and
sisters and get swept away, unceremoniously by a garbage truck… or will some
little kid and her dog jump into the pile and fling them around while laughing
like crazy?
Maybe the leaf doesn’t care what happens after the fall.
Perhaps it’s happy to be free of its tree and off on its own.
But, a falling leaf means its days are numbered. It has turned
a different color because of the chemical changes in its veins and may be happy
to wear something new.
The next spring more leaves will bud on the branches and grow
to a beautiful green or deep red (depending on the species). They will do their
job of collecting energy from the sun and keeping the tree alive.
Then, in autumn they will turn gold or yellow or orange or red
and pop off their branch.
One at a time, waving goodbye to the tree as they fall.
