Autumn coming!

Wow, it is 40 degrees here this morning at 5am!!

I ‘m sure you’ve noticed the daylength shortening: this always makes me a bit sad, but I do love the fall. I hope you also look forward to this cool weather and have all kinds of plans to be out in it! From cooking up cool-weather soups and stews, to raking leaves and searching for the perfect pumpkin, this is a terrific time of year.

But autumn also has that contemplative aspect that I also enjoy. For me, the coming of the colder, darker months beckons me to evaluate the past seasons, to look back and finish up unfinished businesses. I look at projects that were left by the wayside, magazine articles wanting to be read, and I muster up the courage to tackle all these tasks before the winter and holidays are upon us. I look at the flowerbeds, in need of a good weeding and pruning (how DO those weeds grow so fast?) and I vow to tackle them over the next couple weeks.

What projects do you have in your life that remain unfinished? What things in your life are you avoiding or putting off to the side? Autumn is the perfect time to reassess, recommit and get to it! Clean out that closet–you might find something you were looking for! Dust off that bicycle and go for a ride through the leaf-covered streets. Mend that relationship that has been gnawing at you all summer–or politely end it and move on. Autumn and the soon-to-follow winter leave no excess energy for unfinished business. They bring challenges and opportunities in and of themselves. So make a list, check it twice, and use this colorful, beautiful season to tidy up loose ends in your life and in your home. And when you finish a project, take a few minutes to kick some leaves with your kids, or collect pinecones and acorns for a pretty table arrangement.

However you decide to make the transition from summer to autumn, do it with gusto and appreciation for the beautiful seasons we have been given. It truly is a lovely time of year!

Be well, Diane