My favorite seasons of the year are always the transitional ones: Fall and Spring.
There is something about the transitionalness (I know that is not a word) of them that is refreshing. And they are so temporary… merely a change from summer to winter or winter to summer… so they must be cherished a bit more. They come to signal the end of a long dreary winter or a miserably hot summer that seems to last for half of the year… mostly because it does in South Louisiana. And that’s where we are today… the first day of Fall… and while the high for today is still in the mid-70s, I’ll take it over the 90s of last week.
Especially this year of COVID, when the seasons feel confusing anyway and the year really just feels like pre-COVID and COVID, Fall feels like a chance at something new.
It’s a change from the stagnation that hits at the end of summer when temperatures are still soaring, humidity stays high, and there is not a breeze to be found for hundreds of miles. And as those temperatures rose, it felt like the collective anxiety and frustration of our nation did too.
There was so much polarization this year, with arguments on the roots and spread of COVID and how best to respond to preserve the health of our brothers and sisters while keeping as many people as possible working. With police brutality coming to light and recognizing the need for change and what actions are appropriate to raise awareness in an effort to combat what has become the status quo. With the dread that is an election year and all the negative campaigning that occurs. With people feeling comfortable sitting in inaction and negativity and the growth of complacency. With the death of so many who people viewed as heroes, most recently Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Fall feels so much more important.
Fall feels like comfort and cozy and love. It smells like roux and pumpkins and cinnamon and warm coffee. It looks like snuggling up with a book or settling into a hug. It’s your favorite pair of jeans, your stretchiest leggings, or the softest sweatshirt. It’s giving more grace and practicing gratitude.
