Saturday, September 02, 2006

ahhh Autumn.

"Autumn... asks that we prepare for the future - that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go - to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness." - B.W. Overstreet

I have always been an autumn baby. Perhaps it is because I was born in October, but unlike most people who moan about the end of summer, I begin to feel a different sort of excitement in my body when the days begin to cool. My season is arriving. My time is coming. I feel bewitched by the feelings that come with the fall.

I could never understand why January the first was created as the beginning of the new year. The beginning of September always felt like that sort of time to me. Although nature was beginning to get ready for a season of rest and replenishment, autumn always brought new beginnings and a heightened feeling of things to do. With the heat of the summer gone, people always seemed to have more energy to get on with things. Like the grasshopper that played all summer, most people get to September and think about all of the things that they need to still get done. Students and teachers go back to school, holidays are over, farmers work hard to get crops in and fields emptied (or planted) before the snow flies; museums, summer camps, and other seasonal places begin to wind down for their winter rest. It always felt to me like this would be the right time to get on with the business of new resolutions.

Part of my love for this time of year comes from my love of new stationary. Last year I was walking by a Woolworths and I swear to you that I could smell that they had just put the new school supplies out. New pens and empty books and clean pencil cases and packages of lined paper beckoned me through the doors. Everything is new and clean and fresh in September. There are back-to-school clothes and supplies and sales. You can finally put your feet back into socks and shoes. My cozy fleece and sweatshirts are whispering to me from the top of my closet. I can't wait to put them on.

So unlike the cold, sometimes harsh and stark resolutions that are made in January, autumn allows us to make gentler ones. We can look at the bounty that is surrounding us, snuggle into layers of warmth, and feel alive with the nip in the air. We can easily see where we have come from and where we want to be as the nights close in.

We can finally exhale.

As soon as I have published this post I am going to sit down with a new pencil and a clean page and take stock of where I am and how I am doing. I am going to write a fresh 'Want List' and set myself some goals to see me through until the end of the year. Then I am going to try to enjoy my favorite season to the best of my ability - beginning with a cozy supper, a warm sweater and an early night.

xo

P.S. The painting is "Ydelnesse" by Keith Henderson

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love this post. and i enjoy summer because i know fall is next...

Darlene said...

Mmmmmm... what's for dinner...can I borrow a sweater and....I'll sleep anywhere ;)

exhaling with you,

xxx d

rel said...

Megg,
Being September,s child, I, like you find, autumn to be the most tantalizing season of the year.
Your gift with wirds crystalized my feelings to a tee.
Let's enjoy our "getting on with the business of new resolutions."
"."and feel alive with the nip in the air."

I'm gad I stopped by for a visit tonight,
rel

Claudia said...

I also love autumn, the reds, yellows and oranges that come alive here are beautiful...lovely time to make a fresh list!

Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

I agree, September feels like the first of the year for me too. January does not. Except for the whoopla celebrations telling me that it is...But September is the beginning of the year, Glad to know you feel the same way too!

ps
I am pleased that the journal arrived!!

Kerstin said...

You have just described EXACTLY how I feel about autumn, also my favorite season of the year. What a wonderful idea to make resolutions now, I shall go and do this, too. And 'feel alive with the nip in the air' ... ah, yes ...

Anonymous said...

I love autumn, too. I'm not sure if it's because of school always starting in September, but I've always felt like that was really when a new year started, too.
Enjoy the new season, Megg!

sophie said...

I am an autumn girl as well!
I adore it!!
Curling up with a bouquet of
freshly sharpened pencils,
in my cozy green sweater,
sipping chai and ...
writing.
Bliss.

smiles!!

Anonymous said...

What a delightful piece of writing... I just wrote an essay for a friend on 'why I love autumn' - what about autumn as a topic for the next Sunday Scribblings?

Deirdre said...

As a September baby I have to agree with all of this. This is my time of year. I love the way the air changes and the light shifts - I am more alive and clear now. Although I often have fits of melancholy around my birthday there is also a sense of new beginning.

smilnsigh said...

Thank you so much for this entry. I too, love Autumn. It gives me a cozy, nesting feeling.

Aithbhreac said...

I fully agree with you - fall is new beginnings. You made me want to dash out to buy new pens and crayons! Enjoy the season!

M said...

What a brilliant idea...new year in the fall, I'm so there! We should just have our own celebration. And I love love love new school supplies, I can get lost for hours in Office Depot. Sigh.
I wish I was going back to school!

Left-handed Trees... said...

What a rousing welcome for Autumn...my daughter and I take daily walks and already the signs of the next season are unfolding everywhere. I love how you're taking stock with a cozy supper, warm sweater, early night, and a new pencil. This may have to be a new seasonal ritual for me. Thank you!

Jessie said...

ahhh...this post feels good just reading it! i'm just gonna sit here and revel in (and agree with) all you have to say about the change of seasons.

here's to newness and fleece and warm socks and renewed energy. yay! :)

Alex S said...

I LOVE autumn too Megg! I love the huge cranberry red and gold leaves that crunch under one's feet and I always crave pancakes with maple syrup on late autumn Sunday morning! Growing up in Los Angeles there was no change of seasons and it wasn't until I was in Bulgaria and Transylvania that I at last understood why people go kookoo over autumn. Portland is BEAUTIFUL in the fall too-so glad its almost here once again!

Jamie said...

I am so with you, Meg! September has always felt like New Year's to me too. As the air gets sharper, so do I. I start feeling energy stir and want to get at it. When I plan my year, I definitely think September to September.

And new clothes, new notebooks, new pens - yummy!

Meg said...

As if I didn't have enough autumn fever! We are kindred spirits on the note of fall... I live for chill, crisp air, falling leaves, warm soups, and cosy sweaters.

jojo said...

i can relate. I am an october baby too. i have been revamping my work space and i bought some new sharpies and post its with a clear jar to store them to view all the colors. i wish our "heat" was ready to trail off... but sweater days are at least a month away.

White Square said...

Wow! I like the words "Autumn Baby". It strikes a chord with me. May be because I too have very fond memories of autumns over the years.
The painting is gorgeous!

Madeleine said...

Autumn often is better than summer over here in England, and how lovely is the weather right now? i can imagine Hope Cove looks even more beautiful right now.
you live in the perfect place for such a season, megg.

look forward to yur wish list(that is if you share it)
new season and new beginnings. i always think autumn is full of promise.

maybe we could come and visit you again soon.

lots of love,
Mad
xx

Anonymous said...

What lovely quote - it is how I like to look at autumn. Meanwhile over here we are enjoying the bursting out all overness of spring.

Anonymous said...

fall is gorgeous,
thank you