October is a month that I do not exactly look forward to. Yes, I know. The month that so many people love more than all of the other eleven...and it's one that a large part of me dreads (almost, but not nearly as much as I dread November. And don't get me started on March.)
I wrote last year about my end of summer woes and thoughts, in general, about the fall. Friends and strangers alike have tried to convince me of fall's merits, to persuade me to leave my summer love behind and join them in their pumpkin latte, tight wearing, soup making, jacketed love fests. I know though, that I will always be a summer girl at heart, that I won't every shake my unconditional love of flip flops, ponytails, sun dresses, beach days, fresh summery fruits and vegetables and the gloriousness of relishing the long beautiful hours of daylight the summer season ushers upon us. I have my favorite, just as others have theirs.
Still, this October, I am making a conscious effort to, if not exactly usher in fall with grins, kisses, and open arms, to at least embrace the season as best I can, to appreciate all the goodness and beauty it offers. Which, yes, yes, I can see...I'm not completely blind to what this season has to offer.
While a part of me cannot help but mourn the days getting shorter and colder, or shudder as I don tights and boots and scarves, or even worse - have to pull a jacket out of the closet before I leave my apartment, I am trying to see the beauty of this new season we are in.
Really.
I went on a hiking/yoga retreat this past weekend up in New Hampshire and even with the cool, rainy weather we experienced, I sought out the beautiful. I worked on paying attention to the glorious positives of a fall weekend get-away with some of my favorite yogi pals. I breathed in the scenery, the sights and smells of a early fall weekend in the mountains. I paid attention to the views. And I felt grateful for it all.
I can't abandon my beloved summer months and I'll certainly never be the first person to run toward a big cozy sweater with glee. However, one of the greatest lessons this life has taught me thus far is really, it's all in how you choose to look at things.
So let's do this, fall. Give me all you've got.
But don't get too excited. You can still tell your old cousin winter to just back the heck off.
2 comments:
My guess is one of the reasons you love summer is because you've lived in places with four distinct seasons. You know how precious those few months are, so you revel in the heat and the flip flops, etc.
After 30 years of practically year-round summer, I am embarrassingly enchanted with fall.
You'll never stop loving summer. As if! I don't like to think about you dreading October and November, which is why I make a case for fall. But man, New England must be a tough place to live when fall isn't your favorite. ;)
It is no secret that I bear the summer to usher in the Fall. Maybe it's the crispness. The quiet before the sleep. I relish the sweaters and tights and scarves. But, it is the summer, that makes me so appreciate the Fall.
I couldn't love one without the other. And truly, each is just long enough. But I could never live in a place with just one. I still watch the snow with the same wonder in my eyes and heart that I had as a child.
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