The beginning of the year starts in the fall

Whenever I’m asked favorites, I used to pick summer as my season, but all along it’s been the fall.

There’s a snap in the air that energizes me.

Yesterday morning I saw my breath for the first time and instead of groaning, I repeatedly made O’s with my lips and blew out, cherishing the freshness of it; in the evening the air smells crisp and clean.

“Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We’ll smell smoke then, and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a sense of sadness and departure.” –Thomas Wolfe

Though I’m six years out of college, and long out of high school, I still view September as the true beginning of the year. I think the whole world really functions on an academic calendar, and December 31st is just an excuse to have a big party; nothing really starts in January. The world is frozen over, a temporary ice tundra, and leaving the house is like owning a truck in the city – more trouble than it’s really worth. Leaving the house in the fall, on the other hand, finds you entering an almost glowing world, where the afternoon sunlight is golden, and the smell of fires lends itself to nostalgic feelings, pre-gas fireplaces.

To me, summer's all about relaxing: days at the beach, margaritas in the evening, cookouts, vacation days, warm, starry nights, and there is a lot to be said for the benefits of what a summer, especially spent on Cape Cod, can do for one's soul. But there is magic in the fall and it is not lost on me. Only in the past few years have I started to realize my appreciation and love for it. Growing up, fall always signified the end of my life as I knew it – another school year, more homework, the end of my carefree summer (which usually wasn’t carefree as I was either a. scrubbing toilets, b. babysitting children, or the dreaded c. both) – and I admit, I still get that slight knot in my stomach when I realize that the days are getting shorter and night time sets in right after work. That aside, the air in the fall invigorates me -- down to my soul! -- the same way that the summer invokes languidness.

Every fall I get grandiose ideas of leaf peeping and apple picking and weekend jaunts to New Hampshire or Vermont, for the simple pleasure of being in even cleaner, more refreshing air and breathing it in. Last fall, Brionne and I got in the car on a Saturday afternoon, drove up to Loon Mountain, and sat at the top of the mountain drinking a beer. Ok, not exactly the healthy picture that I just painted, but spontaneous and invigorating just the same; I think it’s the fall air that inspires me!

The shock that it’s almost October hit me yesterday, because it seems as if I’ve been living in a haze since I started this job. Perhaps it’s because every day feels the same to me, and my job is like watching paint dry, minus the paint. I’ve been missing out on the golden hues and the snappy air and the opportunities to feel refreshed! I’ve flirted with them, but haven’t gone ahead and made the commitment, and this realization disappointed me.

This fall I am enrolled in a digital photography workshop, to better acquaint myself with the new toy I own, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I chose this season to learn. Now in addition to being invigorated and doing a Julie-Andrews-spinning-at-the-top-of-a-mountain dance in my head, I will also be capturing the fall moments that inspire me, and posting them here for your viewing pleasure. I will take the opportunity presented to me every year, and revel in it; no more fall days passing me by, no sir!

Stay tuned.