That September Feeling

"That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air...Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer." ~Wallace Stegner

As much as I love summer, it can wear me out with its heat and activity or lull me into inertia with its vacations and dog day afternoons. By its end I am like the dried out fields and the tepid ponds: withered and stagnant. But when the first crisp breeze blows, it reminds me of the arrival of Mary Poppins when the wind changes, and the feeling that nothing is impossible floats in with her.

Our ancestors celebrated their new year with the harvest. They planned the year ahead accordingly: how to store the crops, what to sell, and what to buy. The school year was designed around the harvest too. I think my body must know that on some level, like it’s in tune with my great great grandparents. I don’t think I’ve come full circle. I think I’ve discovered the new year the way it has always been.

So, happy new year to you, this September! May you have your own "Mary Poppins" moments, when a cool breeze reveals new opportunities and hopeful insights of all there is to do and to learn and to be.

Thanks for musing with me.