Something's coming...

Something is in the air today.  Every year around this same time I feel it coming.  I wake up, step outside, and I know there's something different in the sky, the wind, the shady places.  There's anticipation and tension and quiet excitement brewing, and I throw open all the doors and windows to welcome it in because something is coming.  And then I quietly wait.

For me, there's nothing quite like the coming of fall.  The coming of a real fall season, that is.  In Utah I always felt ripped off because fall was more a tease than the punctual, assuring presence I knew growing up.  It was gorgeous, but it was so short!  I'd feel the change in the air and get so excited, sure that it was coming, then two days later it would be just like summer again.  And then back to fall.  And so it would go, summer, FALL, summer, FALL, summer, FALL  - winter.  (Incidentally, I found Utah springs to be much the same way.  Winter, SPRING, winter, SPRING, winter, SPRING - summer.)

But here in Virginia I think we're going to experience a much more generous autumn.  And on time, too.  No shortcuts, no fickleness, no half-hearted spurts of changing trees, no soggy leaves lying in defeated piles on the ground after the first rainstorm.  Just autumn in all her glory.

(At least I hope so.)

Why do I love this time of year so much?  What gets me so excited?  (I know Michael, who grew up in California, is a bit perplexed by my enthusiasm.)  Great question.  I think part of it is that the coming of fall means the coming of many of my "favorites".  

My favorite category of clothing is fall clothing.  I love boots and long pants and scarves and jackets.   Ohhhhh yes I do.  And I also love wearing fall colors.

My favorite holidays are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween.  And so starting in October, the excitement builds and builds almost without interruption until December (the lull between Halloween and Thanksgiving is always a little hard for me, but that's another story).  With Halloween and Thanksgiving come other favorite things: costumes, pumpkins, decorations, food, family gatherings, cozy homes, etc.

My favorite temperatures are most common in the fall and spring.  It's relief between the extremes.  Somewhere between 60 and 72 degrees is my happy place.  Just cool enough for a jacket perhaps, but not so cold that you're shivering to death.  And the sun is still warm.

Maybe another reason for my fall-time passion has to do with so many childhood memories being wrapped up in it.  Happy, meaningful, vivid memories.  Like getting swept up in the exhilarating rush of a new school year.  Or going on bike rides around town with my best friend, Samantha.  Or playing imaginary games in the woods with my other friends.  Or romping around in huge, crunchy leaf piles with my siblings and my dad.  Or just sitting outside...for HOURS...and listening to the wind blow through the trees. 

(As a side note, that was probably one of my most favorite things.  Just sitting and listening and feeling with every ounce of concentration and awareness I could muster.  There was one day involving this kind of outdoor meditation when I was 9 or 10 years old that I vowed to commit to my memory forever.  Nothing particularly special about it, except that time seemed to slow down.  It was quiet and peaceful.  And somehow I felt that I wanted to remember that.)

My last guess is that fall (like spring) is a transition time.  It's a time when things change.  Those who know me well know that I usually don't do well with change.  But in this case, I think I like it because the monotony is broken and it forces me to wake up and be more aware of the details in life.  And, in contrast to times of change where uncertainty lies ahead, this time of the year means that good things are coming.

Whatever the reason, when fall comes, memories combined with present experiences make it a complex, familiar, mysterious, cozy time for me.  

And even though everything in nature is dying, my soul feels more alive than ever.

Any other autumn lovers out there?

What makes this time of year special for you?