Autumn’s Beauty Can Restore The Better Angels of Our Nature

We need to take a chill pill, America - and open our hearts and minds to autumn’s beauty.

I’m blessed to have a nice big yard surrounded by woods in the country. I built a big firepit that can accommodate several people - even during this pandemic, when we’re asked to stay six feet apart.

One of my favorite things to do this time of the year is to bring together friends from all my activities - people from different walks of life.

My friends hold a variety of political views, from liberal to libertarian to conservative. I love to mix up a pot of hot apple cider with a touch of Irish whiskey and watch my friends engage in spirited though civil conversations around a roaring fire.

If we can do that, anyone can.

Come on, America. Autumn has finally arrived. After such a nutty, restrictive spring and summer, let’s spend a chilly fall night outside.

Let’s hand cut some firewood and set it in the firepit just right. Let’s stuff some kindling wood and crumpled up paper beneath it. Let’s nurture the flame into a roaring fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows as we sip on hot apple cider with a dash of Irish whiskey.

Autumn gives us the opportunity to surrender to the better angels of our nature, so that we put our politics and ourselves back into proper perspective, to the benefit of our shared republic.

Copyright 2020 Tom Purcell. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970's Childhood," a humorous memoir available at amazon.com, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. For info on using this column in your publication or website, contact Sales@cagle.com or call (805) 969-2829. Send comments to Tom at Tom@TomPurcell.com.