Summer is vitality, an overflowing sense of life and immediacy. Gardens, activity, and late, hot nights.
The other day, while gazing out at the garden full of plump, shiny red tomatoes and a lawn browning in full summer sun and heat, I noticed a small oranging maple leaf on my doorstep.
Bright leaf and lavender
I think it is from a tree across the street, which, I noted last year, seems to be the neighborhood’s early warning of Fall.
Dappled fall on my neighbor's tree!
I’ve been ambivalent about Fall for many years. I was sensitive to the smell of decaying leaves, and the sense of death the season brings. I declared that I hated Fall.
But I liked school, so going back was exciting. I admit I completely bought into the marketing push for back-to-school shopping. The thought of new colors, sweaters, layering, denim and boots still inspires enthusiasm even as I am reluctantly conscious of the freeze that follows.
A back-to-school purchase from high school (as seen in Seventeen Magazine--I felt very cool) that I still wear!
And where I grew up in somewhat rural New York, there would be apple picking, fresh cider, pumpkins and pies. Spicy, sweet, round fall flavors culminating, of course, in Thanksgiving.
I obviously don’t hate the fall.
Though I’m not in school anymore, there’s still that sense of “back to…” Back to work, back to life, back to plans made and put on hold to allow for adventure and relaxation.
It’s always difficult get back to reality after a summer of vacations and easy warmth. This is even more difficult when the return trip is excruciating. Hours spent in the dirty, uncomfortable, offensively upholstered airport seats do not smooth the transition back home.
I suppose the trick is to figure out how to integrate the best of summer into the remainder of the year. Display objéts gathered on vacation. Preserve treasures from the garden. Make a photo album or print some favorite shots.
Scottish wool blanket in Royal Stewart tartan--a cozy souvenir!
Ultimately, it’s about finding ways to let the inspiration that I found elsewhere inform my approach to daily life, change and enrich me.
Some of my goals going into the Fall…
How do you find the seasonal transition? Do you love fall? Hate it? Did you have fabulous summer adventures?
the self-styled life 
I love fall. The start up of school days. And so quickly it’s Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. The cooler temperatures, the wind in the trees, the sound of leaves stirring leave behind the hot, humid days of summer for a while.
Yes, I imagine for a teacher the fall is particularly exciting! I also love that lead up to the Christmas season. The anticipation really does build through each of those holidays.
Thanks for sharing!
The seasonal transition from summer to fall isn’t that exciting because the summer here is as if it’s already fall! It just gets colder..But I got to hand it to the weather, it did stay hot and sunny for one week and a couple of days. World record. I love fall though, especially since I go back to college. I’m just that much closer to what I want to be. As for summer adventures, I didn’t travel anywhere, but I did spend time with the people I love.
Great post.
Oooh I remember how awesome it was going back to college after the summer! Do you go away for school? I was about 4 hours from my university so it was always fun to see everyone we hadn’t seen. Getting ready for new courses was always exciting too! Thanks for commenting!
I really LOVE your blog. It seems you’re always thinking of the subjects that interest me. The pictures are cool, too! Like here, although it may not have been intentional, the Buddha statue on the clock table made me smile. The photo was symbolic to me because I’m reading “Power of Now” and “A New Earth” and it talks about how monks know how to be present and that time is an illusion of sorts.
Thanks for commenting! Happy to know you can relate to my writing! I knew there was a reason I liked the Buddha on that table but hadn’t been able to put a finger on why… Makes sense now!