My favorite season has arrived!
While it’s usually in the 90s in north Texas on the first day of fall, today’s low was in the upper 50s. Windows are open, and everything smells wonderful.
It’s funny how the change of a season and the weather can affect something like writing.
A New Start
Businesses have fiscal years that differ from the calendar year. As a writer, I work on a different year, too; as a writer, my year begins with the arrival of autumn!
Even on the warmer days, just knowing that the leaves will soon change color and cooler weather will become the norm creates a certain energy for me. Always has, and I suspect it always will.
Whether I’m in the middle of a big writing project or starting something new, when the calendar rolls over to September, anticipation settles in. By the end of the month, I end up writing with even more passion than usual.
So even though it will come close to the 90s later this afternoon and climb into the mid-90s for the next week or so, if I close the windows in time, I can pretend it’s cool outside and let the words flow this weekend!
Your Favorite Season
How about you — is there a season that seems to make you want to write just a little more? Share your favorite season in the comments, and have a very snazzy weekend!
Ooh, I love fall too!! It’s absolutely my favorite season. I get close to Christmas again and I enjoy it for a while and then want to barf. 🙂 I get so weary of the consumerism. Then everything just gets cold and brown…then springtime, which is always welcome for me. Except in spring, I usually want to work outside (ie: in the garden) rather than inside on the computer.
Amy: Thanks for the reply. Cynthia loves fall, too. It’s not just because it signals cooler weather in Texas…I’ve always loved it, even when growing up near Chicago. Like you, the consumerism of Christmas gets old, fast. I know it’s an important holiday for you, so I understand where you’re coming from. While it has a different meaning for me, it’s still a quiet time when Cynthia and I reflect on things and look forward to another year. They already have Christmas stuff out in the stores.
Spring is nice; at least until it turns hot in Texas. Then it’s like, “Okay, it’s April/May and summer has started!” and we wait until September or October for cooler weather.
Speaking of weather, I don’t think I’ve ever replied about the weather to the extent that I have in this reply!
I hope the change of season gets your creativity going into overdrive and that the season treats you and your family well.
By Christmas having a different meaning, do you mean the birth of Christ and all that? While I do believe in Christ (and I take it that you may not?), I emphatically *don’t* believe December 25th was his birthday, nor do I believe we’re even supposed to celebrate it as Christians (if we’re to follow the Bible, that is). That causes quite a ruckus in my family. Haha! They’re all Christmas fanatics! My husband and I spend it as a time, like you, reflecting on things and looking forward to another year — and trying our best to *not* “do Christmas”. But our families don’t like it. We’re the “black sheep” of the group, I tell ya. We get raked over every. single. year.
Thanksgiving, on the other hand, has always been my favorite holiday. There’s something warmer about Thanksgiving for me. Truly a time to give thanks. Better food anyway — at least for me, because I love turkey and dressing! Yum!
Each season has a unique magic, but fall’s magic is most palpable. 🙂
Amy: Correct on the atheist thing. But if I were a Christian, I think it would be in my nature to point out to others that the 25th wasn’t Christ’s birthday, or that a big deal needs to be made about it.
I was raised around people who believe in God, but don’t make a big deal about it. I was raised around a lot of Catholics. My cousins are Jewish. And I’m sure there were relatives who, like me, didn’t believe in any bigger thing. So Christmas was sort of this strange thing anyway, where my cousins thought our tree was cool; I thought taking part in Jewish holidays was cool. (And the food my Jewish aunt made was always great!) With all the different beliefs coming together (and, granted, focusing on deeper things on their own when we weren’t all together), from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day has always been “the holidays,” for me. It’s always been a time I look back at the things I did leading up to the end of the year and being around people I care about during a time when things are darker, cooler, and quiet.
It’s a shame that your family views you as the black sheep for wanting to stick to your beliefs. While I understand the importance of the season to them, I always have respect for those who do what’s right for them, even if it seems strange to others. Unless somebody is directly hurting others, what consenting adults do is no business of mine. I can at least empathize; I don’t eat animals and there are people who can’t fathom not eating turkey. Thankfully, the immediate family (Cynthia, my mom, and me) eat the same way, and Thanksgiving seems a little more special to us because it’s a reminder of us doing what works for us. None of us are pushy about our choice — I always loved turkey and dressing, too. (And I miss the gravy Cynthia’s mom makes!)
I’m sorry to hear your family has a tough time with the choice you and your husband have made that’s right for you guys.
It was in the lower 50s this morning. So there was that little hint of fall in the air down in Texas today. (Much better than the 100 degree weather that’s lingered this week.)
The cooler weather, the breezes, the sights and smells…yep, definitely most palpable!