Today I spent the afternoon at Shale Hollow Park. This beautiful park is a bit of a hidden gem in central Ohio and has some great hiking trails, scenic areas, and a diverse collection of wildlife. I was desperately craving an opportunity to immerse myself in the autumn weather which has decided to show up a little late this year.

When I was a kid, autumn was always my least favorite season. It marked the end of summer, the start of the school year and unlike most other kids, I was never really all that excited for Halloween (the dressing up part, not the candy part). As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to appreciate this remarkable time of the year for more than just the amazing colors, sounds, and smells that it brings to the world and have begun to admire the splendor of how mother nature changes and adapts in such an elegant, yet imperfect, way.

Today was one of those imperfect days. Cloudy and windy at times. Calm and sunny moments later. The ground was wet and muddy in places, yet dry and seemingly untouched in others. While I certainly wasn’t expecting a perfect fall day, I was surprisingly pleased by the intricate little details that made this Sunday afternoon quite enjoyable. It was a reminder to me that even when things in life don’t go as planned, I can always find some joy in its imperfections, even if it’s just a little.

Check out more photos here.