I love Fall. Having grown up in a place where there are seasons, I am used to hot Summers and cold Winters. I am used to Springs where the natural world wakes up. I am used to Falls where the world takes a long inhale full of color and bounty and chill, then softly exhales her leaves and fruit and warmth to prepare for the slumber of the natural world during the Winter. I now live in a place where seasons don’t happen in the same way. Things don’t radically change every few months. I don’t have to rotate clothes from one closet to the other. I don’t get to kiss snowflakes. Ice never forms on iris petals where I live. The sun feels the same all year round. People say you don’t appreciate things until they are gone. I think that is true. I miss all the seasons, but I particularly miss Fall.

Why do I love Fall?

I love Fall because I love change.

I have always loved change. I am the rolling stone that does not gather moss. Perched somewhere between nesting and flying, my wings are always ready to soar. I have always loved new things, new friends, and new challenges. Stuck has never been in my vocabulary. Fall seems unstuck to me. In Fall, the vegetables of summer ripen and harvest happens. In Fall, people thank their summer vacation memories and welcome new adventures. In Fall, I move toward the dreams that have basked in the summer sun and I am ready to run.

I love Fall because it is abundant.

I pay particular attention to all the gifts and blessings and bounty in my life during Fall. That is part Thanksgiving, part birthday, and part my traditions of going to the pumpkin patch being surrounded in a sea of orange, of being buried in a huge pile of leaves, and of chasing our dog through the woods when we could see him through the trees after the leaves had fallen. Abundance is felt in the cool air making breath feel lighter, the sun setting earlier making each minute of daylight matter more, and the birds singing a little louder making urging daily celebration.

I love Fall because it is busy and productive.

I find myself on fire in the Fall. Things come in to focus. I become the fiery leaf of an October Kentucky maple tree. Maybe that is because of my perennial student/school year energy? Maybe that is because everyone around me seems to be moving and shaking? Maybe that is because my life always gets busier in September and October, like a car shifting into gear? My attitude is better. My thoughts are clearer. I buy (and actually use) a planner. I commit to things like the Whole Life Challenge. I get a lot done in the Fall.

I love Fall because it is a new year beginning.

Whether guided by phases of the moon, passages from scripture, or the timing of agriculture and commerce, looking to the Fall as a new year is not a new or unique idea. That makes sense to me. Part of a new year is remembering and making peace with the old year and moving on. Part of a new year is living in the natural rhythm of life and death, of saying hello and goodbye, of adding and shedding, of building up and tearing down. Part of the new year is celebrating what is while we look toward the best of what will be.