Leaf Stomping

A seasonal addiction

Up until yesterday we were enjoying a beautiful peak fall foliage here on the Great Plains of Turtle Island. I have always been a tree-lover so I get very excited by the colorful display they put on in autumn. My daily walks are like stepping into a magnificent work of art. It is a veritable feast for the eyes.

But yesterday we had a horrific wind storm. We have a lot of those around here. In a matter of hours the wind stripped all the leaves from the trees, leaving all the trees buck naked. It was like going from summer to winter in one day. The beautiful fall foliage is now all on the ground.

My eyeballs are a little sad that the colorful painting was ripped down. But, overall, I am not really sad about it. The eyeballs had their fun. They have been luxuriating in the arboreal extravaganza for a couple of weeks.

Now it is time for my feet to have some fun!

Ever since I was a toddler I have always been irresistibly compelled to stomp my feet through any pile of dried leaves that I encounter. It is a compulsion. It is an obsession. It may even be an addiction.

All my life to this day I have been incapable of walking down the street and passing by a pile of leaves without stomping my feet through it. The sound of crunching leaves underfoot is intensely pleasurable. My feet are not the only ones in ecstasy.

I remember last year at about this time I took a walk with one of my granddaughters. I noticed that she would go around piles of leaves on the sidewalk. I, however, slowed down and deliberately stomped through the leaves.

“What are you doing, Grandpa?”

“I’m stomping through leaves. It’s a lot of fun. Try it.”

So she tried it and within seconds she was giggling with glee. At first she got behind me to crunch leaves in my footsteps but soon she raced out in front of me to be the first one to crunch their way into the next pile of leaves. The neighborhood was filled with the delightful sound of crunching leaves and giggling. Gosh we had a lot of fun that day.

I wonder if she will continue to stomp through dried leaves for the rest of her life like I have. If she does I certainly will not feel guilty for having passed on my compulsive/obsessive addicting behavior. Will dried leaf stomping be my legacy?

Yesterday after the wind storm was over I went for a walk and noticed that there are some piles of leaves that are almost two feet deep. I stomped through many of them. It was so profoundly satisfying.

I plan on going for another walk after lunch. I can’t wait. I am so excited!

And I will be sure to thank the trees and the wind.

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