Now Hear This: The great joys of October
I have designated October a 5-Star month. Not that the other months of the year, especially December, are not unique, it’s just October holds special meaning for me.
• The first star is for color. October is all about color, especially here in Tennessee, and on those days in the middle of the month, when the sky is blue, the temperatures crisp, and the trees have all been painted by the hand of God, nothing compares. Nothing!
It’s as if those in rush-hour traffic have lined up just to witness the early morning splendor of nature. Having a bad day? Walk outside, and look around. By the time you get back to your task, your entire attitude has changed. We’re like frisky colts kicking up our heels as we venture out on our October weekend of color exploration.
And, before you know it, like a dream, it’s gone. But we’ve come alive in a way, reserved just for the month of October, which allows us to anticipate November and December with renewed commitment and enthusiasm.
• The second star is for the World Series. Although I will admit, some Octobers are a whole lot better than others.
You don’t have to be a sports fan, or a baseball fan specifically, to appreciate the importance of this event. Even the most casual observer will peek in on the World Series from time to time, just so they can be included in the water-cooler conversation.
Some of my most cherished childhood memories are those days, in high school, when one of my classmates would bring a radio to school so we could plug in, and keep up with the series between classes. The guys would then pass notes around in the next class with the updated score. In those years more often than not it would be the “subway” World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers (before they moved to California, of course).
• The next star is for the Tennessee-Alabama football game, always played in October as far back as anyone can remember. Again, some Octobers have been better than other Octobers for Vol fans. For years, nothing – and I mean nothing – would get the “Big Orange Nation” as riled, provoked and irritated as the sight of Alabama “red” during the month of October. Don’t forget, it’s all about color.
• Star number four is for Halloween. I don’t hold any high regard for Halloween, other than all those childhood memories of trick or treat. They are some of the earliest, and funniest memories I have.
One, however, falls under the heading of dumbest. It was the Halloween night some of my high school friends and I were riding around in the back of a pickup truck (the preferred mode of transportation in South Georgia). Somebody, and I won’t say who, threw a cherry bomb on somebody’s porch at the very moment the cops pulled around the corner. We spent several anxious hours at the police station while our parents were called to come retrieve us.
People often tell me I have a “devil” of a personality. A direct result of that first Halloween costume I wore when I was 4 or 5, I’d say.
• And, finally October is special for me because it was first special for my mother. It was the month of her first-born son. Once a year I celebrate her memory, and the birth of that child, who as years pass miss the sound of her voice, her gentle touch, and words of wisdom, more than words can describe.
And, each October I return to the place of my birth in memory, while trying to live each glorious day in the splendor of October color.
(Hopes Hines is a television sports reporter and a Nashville personality.)