4 Things I Love About Fall

This past weekend, my husband and I went to visit our daughter at her college in New England. I have always loved my daughter's campus, and being there in the fall was wonderful. Aside from seeing our daughter (which was the best part, of course), we got to wander around campus, enjoying the views from the inside and the outside. It reminded me why I was so excited that she chose this school so far from home, but it also reminded me why fall is my favorite season.

1. It's neither too hot nor too cold. Although the past couple of months in Pennsylvania have put this assertion to the test, now that we've reached the end of October, the air is beginning to have the crisp feel indicative of the season. A sweatshirt or a light sweater (or perhaps a lightweight, fuzzy blanket) is all that's needed to stave off the chill, making everything feel cozy.
2. The start of school signals the start of new opportunities. In his book When, Daniel Pink asserts that the start of each season provides an opportunity for a new start, but I think I feel this most in the fall, probably because I'm an educator. Kicking off a new semester and a new season in close succession lends a lovely "anything is possible" vibe to the days that stretch out ahead. 
3. The days are reasonably long. Though they lack the length of their summer counterparts, fall days still have plenty of light. And, when reflected in the leaves whose colors shift daily (at least here in the northeastern United States), there is a brightness about everything outdoors. 
4. It's beautiful. Even a non-outdoor person like me can't deny that this is a time that nature deserves a standing ovation.

There are many parts of the country I would love to visit, but I can't imagine living anywhere that lacks the colors and promise of an east coast fall.

Ready or Not, Here I Come!

melkhagelslag via Pixabay

I am counting down to the beach, and I couldn't be more excited.

Last summer, for the first time in a long time, we didn't go to the beach. I didn't get to brainstorm characters while sitting under an umbrella on the sand with the ocean just a few feet away. I didn't get to post my blogs from the screened-in porch. I didn't get to browse in my favorite indie bookstore.

But all of that is about to change. My fall break is coming, and so is my beach vacation.

Before you waste too much sympathy on my alleged beach deprivation, let me just say that we didn't go to the beach because we went to Ireland instead. My daughter spent a semester in Cork and so we spent spring break visiting her.  As much as I love my beach trips, I have to say that the tradeoff was more than fair.

But I'm ready.

I'm not a hot weather fan, so fall beach trips are right up my alley. I love bundling up under a blanket on the screened-in porch and I long ago traded in swimsuits for the more comfortable beach attire of shorts and a tee shirt, so upgrading to a sweatshirt isn't a big deal.

I'm a unlikely beach goer. I don't swim or surf and more than 20 minutes in the sun is too much for me. But I love to sit under an umbrella and read (or write) with the sound of the ocean as my background. And I love to sit out on the patio with my laptop or my journal (and, with few exceptions, I journal only at the beach) listening to the frogs in the creek below.

michalkirk via Pixabay

Right now, my clothes and toiletries are in their usual locations and my suitcase is still in the basement, but my journals are sitting out, waiting to be slipped into a bag and taken along for the ride. I have lesson plans to write and papers to grade, but these activities (which usually consume my thoughts) are merely hurdles to clear before I can depart for my desired destination. I will do them with the same level of dedication they usually demand, but I'll do so knowing that each task I complete takes me one step closer to that screened-in porch where I'll meet my characters and my deadlines.

I'm ready -- well, except for the grading and the planning and the packing.

But if mental preparedness counts for anything, I'm already there.

Saturday Special: Focusing on Fall

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Leave it to Martha Stewart to organize things I never even thought of organizing. In light of the emergence of fall weather here in Pennsylvania, I thought I'd share some fall organizing tips. In honor of the temperate weather, some organize things inside the house, others make suggestions for outdoors.

I hope fall is as lovely where you are today as it is here.

Falling for Fall

I am trying to stave off a cold. My daughter is sick. My students are dropping like flies. Germs abound and sleep is in short supply -- a surefire recipe for defeat.

Still, I love this time of year. Cool, crisp mornings. Sunny afternoons, perhaps with a hint of a breeze. Sweatshirt weather. The time of year when, depending on the time of day, I may need a blanket if I want to curl up on my patio with a book or my laptop.

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I have always loved fall. The juxtaposition of fresh starts against leaves in one final display of glory creates an energy that inspires me to make new plans. Optimistic, far-reaching plans that excite and that I foolishly believe I have the energy to carry out. Inevitably, they become part of the reason I succumb to the sleep deprivation that invites illness, but that doesn't make them any less fun to contemplate.

We all need a season in which to contemplate. To create new things with hope and a sense of complete possibility. Without renewal, life grows stale and we feel more like the crumpled leaves on the ground than their celebratory siblings on branches just out of reach. Maybe those plans will fade and wither, or maybe they'll spark something as long-lasting as the tree itself, nurturing generations of leaves to come.

So I will continue to plan. And if experience is any indication, I will make plans that tax my energy and patience, no matter how realistic they may seem at the start. But no one ever promised that life would be free of challenges.

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And along the way, I may just curl up under a blanket on my patio and take a nap. I'm going to need energy for all of those plans, after all, and I can't afford to get sick.