Leaving the house the other morning I felt something I haven’t felt in a long time: a slight coolness in the air. The very first sign of fall. Though the day warmed up to the mid-30s, the morning temperature gave away the approaching change of seasons.
I have mixed feelings about fall this year. To embrace fall fully it helps if I’ve had a full summer. This year, I haven’t. Our one away vacation was mainly rain. I’ve been to the beach a few times, but not consistently. Work has been busy. Husband’s renovation schedule has been and will be full tilt, leaving us with limited family time (I am very appreciative of his hard work. We just both are eagerly awaiting family time again!). And now we’re a couple weeks away from the start of the school year. My supervisor is in town tomorrow, and it seems all the projects from the summer and for the year are coming to a head. In sum, I haven’t felt like I’ve had summer so I don’t feel ready for fall.
On the other hand: exciting! New freshness in the air. The chance for fun “lasts” with the summer: last dip in the lake, last picnic outside, last week of shorts at work. And then there are the firsts: comforter back on the bed; sweater to work; leaves turning. And all the great nesting hibernating connecting community activities of fall. Food to harvest, houses to winterize, fall festivals to attend.
Tonight I felt a bit of that hibernating nesting energy. Baby was up at 9:15 saying she had to pee (we had been nursing/resting in bed for about 1.5 hours at that point). I was frustrated. But she was awake, so I embraced it. And it was a bit cool, so I had to get myself some socks. And it was dark and cozy, and suddenly I felt that fall feeling. We were together, mother and daughter. We were spending time bonding. We were safely inside. We could do whatever we wanted.
I’m looking forward to more moments like that as autumn encroaches. In the meantime, I’ll try and make a few more summer memories to carry me through winter.