A Love Letter To IOwa

June 28, 2023

Last autumn waltzed in smooth and sweet, just like a HoneyCrisp apple. It was slow and mild, which allowed the trees to hold their changing colors much longer than in recent years. The golds and reds melted into the vibrant sunsets to their backs and on the rainy days their colors sang. I would sit outside and sip my coffee on slow mornings and we would burn the Christmas tree from the year before in the evenings. My love and I stayed in a sweet little AirBnB surrounded by brown forest as it slowly fell into winter. We took time away from technology and ate too much cheese, listened to every record they had and completed a puzzle from start to finish in one evening.

As winter arrived, so did the regular winter things. With the darkness and cold came seasonal depression and anxiety. There was nothing that made this winter any more lovely than past winters, that was, until the darkness melted into spring.

Spring was the most beautiful I have ever experienced. It was cool and mild, so everything continued to bloom for months, when in the past it would have been weeks. I have never loved spring the way I have loved this past spring. My puppy and I spent as much time outside as we could, taking long walks and soaking in the sun in between rain showers. Spring ended bright and warm and in a white dress.

Summer came in hot and colorful. I was saddened by the loss of the pastel blooms of spring, but the earth took no time pulling vibrant golds, hot pinks and deep purples from its belly. The cicadas sang softly in the background as the sun set. Everything was covered in a carpet of yellow and pinkish flowers by early June.

It’s like the seasons knew we would be leaving and wanted to woo us one last time. Iowa, you will always have a place in my heart.