Fall

Flag football last fall

There is something in the air that feels like fall.  Though it is still in the 80s here in Denver, the nights are getting cooler and the sun is refusing to rise as early and set as late.  Now that Labor Day has come and gone, it is time to officially accept summer is over and fall is waiting around the corner to come out and play!  Which is welcomed after one of the hottest summers I have experienced!

I love fall!  I truly do!  I crave the weeks when the leaves have changed, right before they fall to the ground...  Those weeks are my favorite as they welcome change and encourage a sense of growth and a shedding of that layer of what's old.  I love the cool crisp air and the smell of comfort that leaves me breathless.  I love wearing my North Face jackets with my jeans and riding boots.  I secretly count down the days until I can wear all the scarves that have spent all year in a box in my closet.  Wool socks and sweatshirts await their turn to be used...  Sipping a warm pumpkin spiced latte and savoring the sweet smell of fall.  Flag football season played in the cool hours of the morning that require a blanket to be shared with a friend...

In my mind, fall is the quintessential time to start anew.  Most people take advantage of "spring cleaning" and the summer months to make promises to themselves to work out more so they can fit into their bikini, but to me, fall seems like the perfect time to take a moment and refresh.  If I lived in Oregon, I would take a trip to the beach this weekend and breath in the salty mist.  If I lived in Montana, I would climb Big Mountain or spend an evening down at the lake and watch the sun cast that purplish glow across the mountains.  But since I am in Colorado (and still on crutches, a minor self-limiting factor), I think I will take time this weekend to sip coffee on my porch and continue reading my non-science books as I watch the days get shorter and the air get cooler.

Fall produces emotions in me that are unlike those of other seasons.  I always find myself missing my closest friends when the weather changes and I know more than anything in the world, I long to have coffee dates with friends far away.  Its these times that I know I prefer to stay in on the weekends and spend time with those closest to me.  I get this strong desire to curl up on the couch and get lost in the adventures of fictional characters that experience life in a similar way as myself.  It is this time of year that I struggle the most to stay focused in class as I find a million and one things that beg for my attention.

I miss the Oregon rain that welcomes the change of season.  I am getting used to the arid climate of life on the eastern front of the Rockies, but I long for those socked in, rainy, wet days that provoke the sense of perpetuity.  Welcome fall, I look forward to the journey!