First of all, ask yourself what image came into your head with the title of this piece -- did you automatically think of autumn or the verb "to fall", as in collapse or fail -- or did you realize that it could be either?

Scenario One

       The wetness of the day fit her mood. The rain fell in a fine spray of droplets, as if God were spitting at her. The sky, a pale shade of gray, was the right background for the dying autumn leaves still tenuously clinging to their branches. They seemed forlorn, just waiting for a gust of wind to carry them to the ground. She thought, "They'll stay there through the late fall and early winter, slowly rotting and making everything smell like death and dying."

       The view from the window seemed to have changed a lot since yesterday. She frowned because she didn't understand how it happened. One day the marsh grass was a tired, dusty green, and the next, it was dead, limp and matted against the cold earth. She hated this season, and wondered about the sanity of the tourists who drove for hours just to watch the earth's lingering approach to the frigid, deathlike shroud of winter snow. Who would waste their time just driving around looking out a car window?

       She brought her attention back into the small, cramped kitchen, where she'd been deciding what to drink to warm herself up. Drinking a cup of hot tea was cheaper than turning up the heat a notch. She stared at the boxes of herbal tea stacked uncertainly, if not haphazardly, in the undershelf bin. "I'm such a slob," she thought to herself. "No matter how many times I straighten these up, they always end up back in a mess."

       An unopened box of roasted green tea was perched on top. It wasn't a flavor she'd normally buy. It had come to her free, as part of a buy-one-get-one-free promotion by the manufacturer. She didn't like to waste things, even if they were free, so she pulled a tea bag from the box and tossed it into a mug of filtered tap water. She punched in 1:43, and waited for the microwave to do its thing. She was careful to stand far away enough to avoid any potential energy wave leakage.

        As the water boiled away, the room began to smell like fermented grass clippings causing her to sneeze. She quickly hit the stop button, and poured the steaming mess down the drain -- she knew it would taste as awful as it smelled. With a sigh of impatience, she looked at the stack of tea boxes again. This time she selected one she knew she liked -- ginger tea. She punched in 1:46 this time. "I'm so fickle," she thought. "Why can't I stick to a routine?"

       Scowling, she stared back out the window. The smell of boiled green tea lingered in the room, an unpleasant reminder that you really never get something for nothing. She wished she'd chosen not to take the free sample. Nothing ever seemed to work out for her, not ever. What had she done to deserve this?

Scenario Two

       The wetness of the day fit her mood. The rain fell in a fine spray of droplets, as if God were baptizing her. The sky, a pale shade of gray, was the right background for the dying autumn leaves still tenuously clinging to their branches. They seemed content, simply waiting for a gust of wind to carry them to the ground. She thought, "They'll slowly meld with the dirt through the late fall and early winter, providing nutrition for next Spring's plants."

       The view from the window had changed so much since yesterday. She smiled because she didn't understand how it happened. One day the marsh grass was a tired, dusty green, and almost magically, the next day it was like golden brown silk, resting gently against the cold earth as if laying down its life as a protective blanket against the upcoming crisp cold snow of winter. It was an every day miracle. She loved this season, and got a kick out of all the tourist who drove for hours just to see the color of the leaves. This time of year seemed like a final celebration, and she loved the beauty of change that marked the passage of time.

       She brought her attention back into the small yet cozy kitchen, where she'd been deciding what to drink to warm herself up. Drinking a cup of hot tea was just as warming as turning up the heat a notch, and she got to enjoy the pleasure of the warm cup in her hands as well. She stared at the boxes of herbal tea stacked playfully, if a bit precariously, in the undershelf bin."Yep, I'm definitely a Myers-Briggs© P," she thought and smiled. "Order to chaos!"

       An unopened box of roasted green tea was perched on top. It wasn't a flavor she'd normally buy. It had come to her free, as part of a buy-one-get-one-free promotion by the manufacturer. She looked forward to trying something new, so she pulled a tea bag from the box and tossed it into a mug of filtered tap water. She punched in 1:43, and waited for the microwave to do its thing, feeling safe and comfortable around the soft hum of the device because she'd just had it tested.

       As the water boiled away, the room began to smell like fermenting grass clippings causing her to sneeze. What did that smell remind her of? Ah, all the summers she and her sister had spent playing in the grass clipping pile after mowing the lawn! She quickly hit the stop button, and took the mug out of the microwave. Tenatively, she tasted the tea, hoping it might taste better than it smelled. Oops. Definitely not! She poured the steaming concoction down the drain. The smell had brought back nice memories -- she just wasn't sure she wanted to drink something that smelled and tasted like dead grass, even if it might be good for her. With a patient sigh, she looked at the stack of tea boxes again. This time she selected her favorite -- ginger tea. She punched in 1:46 this time,and thought, "I love variety! I bet there's over a hundred ways to make a cup of tea."

        Smiling, she gazed back out the window while she waited. The smell of boiled green tea lingered in the room, a pleasant reminder of summers spent with her sister. She hadn't even had to pay for them since the tea had been free.

Summary

       The scene is the same, but the experience of it is very different -- soley based on her thoughts.

       In the first example, she ignores the positive things about the season. She also sees what she perceives as a bad event in her life (making the room smell like dying grass) as her fault (personal) yet also sees it as not in her control to change (victim thinking). She sees the bad event as never ending (permanent) and reflective or affecting her whole life (pervasive). She automatically chooses words that have negative connotations -- for example, the concept of "small" can be represented by many different words such as "cramped", "cozy", "miniature", "tiny", and "compact".

       In the second example, she focuses on the positive things while acknowledging the negative, and taking whatever good she can from the situation. She perceives the bad event in her life (making the room smell like dying grass) as her fault, yet doesn't personalize it or beat herself up for making the mistake or see herself as a victim. She also sees this bad event as an isolated occurrence, rather than as something reflective of her whole life or a never-ending pattern of bad choices and matters out of her control. By understanding how her system works (Myers Briggs "P"), she knew not to beat herself up for something that is not her natural wiring (order and neatness). She also took care of the things that were in her control (testing the microwave) so she knew whether her concerns and fears were founded or unfounded.