September Simplicity
It’s noticeably cooler this weekend in West Virginia. Our cooler weather paired with rain and whipping wind, caused a few leaves to fall, giving us all a taste of what's to come. Providing the permission to slow down, filling our minds with the anticipation of the glory that is Autumn.
September gives me some of the same feelings as January. It offers a calm after the rush of the summer months, where we are offered the space to position ourselves for a successful season ahead. The early weeks of the month bring up the same opportunities for preparation and self-reflection that are so familiar in the New Year.
Our big family ship starts to make all the changes needed to transition into a new season and pace. Preparing for school, cooler weather and more evenings in our home.
Coming home from a girls trip this weekend, I can feel our family pausing, resting and preparing to gear back up for the season ahead. Our summer was packed full of outpatient therapy, an early summer Disney trip and multiple weddings. It blew past me as all season do.
Instead of rushing to fill the house with pumpkins or the smells of fall, I want to linger in a simple September. Easing into the seasons of gatherings and holiday traditions, finding space between the excitement of our summer and what's yet to be found in fall + winter.
I always find myself hanging tight to time as we creep closer to late September. My first baby, Owen, was born on the 20th, the thought of rushing those last weeks of his current age brings up all the feels. Everything about his birth, my pregnancy and those early weeks as a new mother to him are some of my sweetest memories. I get so nostalgic in the weeks leading up to his birthday.
I’m slowly walking into the sweetness of Autumn. Asking myself what I want our family to feel in the months to come and what memories I want us to hold tight to as the fall fades to winter. Intentionally allowing space to be present between one season to the next, not allowing myself to fall into the trap of everyday life not living up to the movie in my mind.
Our world today is filled with images of what it all should look like. It often leaves me dreaming of picture-perfect experiences, which as we all know, is never the outcome. I’ve been leaning into no longer willing the picture into existence but focusing on finding the desired feelings in the moments right in front of me. Accepting the variables ( my children's unpredictability ) at play
I hope you’ll give yourself and your family the gift of “the space” between. Spend some time slowing down, clearing out the remittance of summer and intentionally choosing how you and your family want to walk into fall. Download fall bucket lists, sit down with your planners and make it easy to make those memories, by building out the fun ahead of time.
Remember you don’t need “all the things” to feel the feelings of the literal season your in. We love fall because it represents the feelings of coziness, love, and home. We don’t need to rush the images of the season and all the trimmings to feel these feelings. They are already with you, right where you are. And… how much sweeter will all the traditions of the season to come be as September fades to October when we linger in the in-between a little bit longer.