Welcome Back

September is what you might call a busy month for me - hence the three week hiatus from blogdom. September is also the month that ushers in my favorite season. I absolutely love the fall. Let me count the ways:

*Football starts. I love the sport even though the Dawgs and Hawks have both struggled to different degrees. I also, though, love the rhythm that football brings. Baseball has a beautiful steady consistency throughout the summer. Football paces itself, bringing pace to my own life.
*The weather. Oh, how I have loved breaking out jackets, sweaters, and jeans again this month. One can only wear flip-flops for so many consecutive days. I'm ready to pack the shorts for a while. Seattle in the fall is the best. We even get respites from the gray on days like today (70s!?!). But there is something comforting about the gray, too. Of course, the shorter days also bring the beautiful leaves. Oh, the leaves.
*New beginnings. There is no reason for us to pretend the year starts mid-winter. We all know that in the rhythm of most lives, the new year starts in the fall. With school starting around the country, the idea that it's a whole new start - a second, third, or 29th chance - is in the air. My resolutions come in September, not in January.

It might get into the 80s tomorrow. I will enjoy it because I know there aren't many more of those Seattle can eke out this year. But when the gray comes back, I will be waiting and I will be excited.

It's kind of odd that in nature, spring brings new life and fall in actuality is the beginning of the slow death of so many things. Because in the life of us humans it seems there is something very life-giving about the fall. The cool air refreshes, the new beginnings invigorate. I absolutely love this season. Welcome back, fall.