There’s a better (and smarter) way to capture fall colors. Just ask my insurance company.

I’ve been practically driving off the road for the past week and it’s only going to get worse in the coming days. But then, just as quickly as all of this started, it will become normal again. The change will come about with a seeming snap of the fingers—or probably just one really windy day with a rainstorm thrown in for good measure. In any case, right now you feel almost electrified when you step outdoors and take stock of what’s going on in this part of the world.

Every year it happens—and much like anything meaningful, it’s always a bittersweet experience.

I don’t remember if it looked this fantastic last year, but I will tell you that even before the sun’s rise this week, the red of the oak and sugar maple trees looked absolutely Crayola against the cloudy black sky.

I’m not talking about a red crayon that has been heavily layered on top of black construction paper. Instead it looks more like red leaves drawn on a white sketchpad that had a black sky carefully shaded in around the tree’s outline. The final product ends up looking like a cartoon interpretation of fall foliage—except that it’s real. This scene pulls me out of a sleepy morning fog that typically only has me searching for my car in the vast parking lot.

Look at those amazing trees!

Where did I park my car last night?

The colors!

There is nothing more true than the pigment that Mother Nature is laying down right now.

As a loyal office sentry, I spend a good portion of my life staring out of windows these days. Whether I’m sitting in my car or gazing out at the scenery just beyond the office parking lot, I find that my tendency for distraction is at an all season high.

It was yesterday while in traffic that I really became struck by the unpredictable beauty of October and November. As I kept shifting between first and second gear, my eyes drifting over to watch amber flakes of leaves as they confettied down to the ground and were run over by opposing commuters. It was right then that I kind of froze inside of myself and remembered how tragically ephemeral this time of year really is.

The shift is well underway at Gravelly Point.

Appreciate it now because tomorrow, all of these crimson and gold beauties just might be blown away ’til next year. We never get to know when the show will suddenly and unceremoniously end. Until we suddenly know it.

I have been snapped awake by the season, just as old man Daylight Savings is about to take his winter nap. And I am sure that you have all noticed this too.

I think that the most significant moments are the ones where we are suddenly reminded of life’s precious nature. Family, friends, trees, or a 37 year-old designated hitter from the DR: it’s important to remember that all of this can be very much here today gone tomorrow. Life is best relished before it falls from the branches and becomes fond a memory.

And how about them Red Sox? Ah the colors of a truly amazing season. Let us enjoy that a bit longer too.