Hello there!
Are you as excited as I am that Autumn is here? The wind is cooler, the humidity has finally left us alone, and I’m starting to see some beautiful colours on the changing trees. Yesterday I brought out my Fall/Winter clothes and despairingly put my shorts, skirts, and bathing suits away for another 7 months or so. I do this mindfully, and each season I weed through my clothes as I put them away. I consider each piece and whether or not I will be excited to see it next year, or if I will wonder why I bothered to store it for another season. While it brings about mixed emotions, that meant that I was able to access my Fall clothes. Yup, you guessed it! Hello tights, scarves, and cardis. I love to read blogs on capsule wardrobes (Google it) and transitioning clothes into the cooler months. I have to laugh though, as many writers suggest adding layers to Summer blouses. It seems their solution to transitioning their clothes is to add tights or a cardigan. Here in the Great White North that simply will not do. Yes, in early Fall this looks cute and works fairly effectively. But once November hits that just isn’t an option any longer. I guess we just don’t all live in warm to moderate climates all year long! In addition to pulling out warmer clothes, tomorrow I am meeting with a friend for my first Pumpkin Spice latte of the season (white girls, you know who you are!). Joy of joys, I have been waiting for a long time for this opportunity.
While I fully embrace this seasonal change, I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty about how quickly we think we’re done with Summer – as if we’re cheating on it somehow. On one hand, we wait for it all year, dreaming of its warm sun, and of days at the cabin, camp fires, beach visits, and road trips. Then as soon as the air starts to change, so does our mindset. I’ll admit I am actively working to cope better with life changes, but there is a small angle of sadness that I have about leaving the summer season behind. It’s back to school (for the last time!), back to work, and before we know it, back to Winter – but I certainly won’t talk about that yet!!
Maybe my issue about seasonal changes has more to do with upcoming life changes than it does about falling leaves. J & I both finish school this December – requiring us to start careers and new work, loved ones are moving away, and we’re caught in a weird place between buying a house and settling down or uprooting and moving away ourselves. We continue to be told that “now is the time” if we’re going to relocate somewhere (to clarify, it wouldn’t be international), because we’re young and our lives are flexible. While this is true, I still have mixed feelings about it – but I think that’s okay. Part of me needs a new adventure, but the other part is as deeply rooted as an old tree. Time will tell, I guess. In the meantime we will finish off our schooling and see what the future holds for us. As textbook Type A, this kind of stuff kills me, but I should learn to be more flexible anyway, so I shall choose to see it as a learning opportunity, instead of falling apart because I don’t have the next 12 months of our lives planned. Yet another chance to learn to stay liquid and face life head on.
Now get out there and enjoy a PSL in your knitted scarves and booties with tights! Fall doesn’t hang around too long in this province.
Best.
LP
thepaetkaulife 