Bring on October

I love spring. The air feels full of hopeful anticipation. The light is softer, the air warmer. Everything is buzzing with life. I am not an outdoors kinda girl, but spring makes me want to be outside. It's my second favorite season.

Autumn is my favorite. It feels funny to say that, because it's a season of...well, dying. Mold. Rot. But it's a pretty rot.

I love the colors. The smells: crunchy fallen leaves, dusty heating vents, cinnamon spice, squash. The crispness in the air. The blindingly blue skies. Heck, even the dreary rain is prettier in autumn, against a backdrop of amber and russet trees. I love that the endless, blazing days of summer gradually grow cooler, shorter. Nudging us to head inside, bundle up, eat good food, drink something warm. I love sweaters and flannel and blankets and boots. Just...everything.

Two signs of fall that I eagerly anticipate each year: My neighbor's tree changing color, and the reappearance of Orion. I haven't seen Orion yet, but my neighbor's tree is looking a little gold around the edges. Puts me in an autumn frame of mind.

Fall is a time of celebration around here. My parents' birthdays, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Since I procreated with a goth, Halloween is a month-long celebration. (He would say it's a way of life.) I stretch Thanksgiving into a month, as well, because I like thanks, and food (though not, of course, turkey). Which leads up to December, the Month of Christmas. From October 1 until January 1, it's one long party at my house. (Okay, not really. But we have lots of decorations.)

I've come to recognize that I've fallen into certain annual patterns. August is my month of self-reflection and mental housekeeping, and has been since my 20s. (I just have to take a break in the middle to celebrate the birth of my first child. As is befitting of her nature, that takes at least a week.) September is a month of doing -- all that navel gazing in August gets me itching to take action. So I make lists and schedules and set goals and push myself. Or at least I plan to. Then October rolls around, and life fills up with creature comforts. What didn't stick in September typically rolls over to January, and becomes my resolutions.

This year, I'm entering October with more momentum than I've had in a while. I'm starting to feel like I have a handle on things. Which is probably a sign that the bottom is about to fall out, but I'm happy to ride the wave of optimism til it crashes.

Bring on fall!