There’s much to love about the summer, especially the end, packing in the last adventures on the lake and cottages with friends. I love dinners outside, impromptu barbecues, white pants, and summer dresses. I love bronzed skin and silly tan lines, and the refreshing feeling of jumping in the pool. I love summer salads, guacamole, and blooming flowers in the neighborhood.
But the transition into fall is one of my favorite feelings in the world.
The air changes after Labor Day. Crisp, cool, slightly breezy. I adore the fresh smell of fall. The leaves start to change, giving way to glorious reds, yellows, and oranges. I love traveling Up North, long after the summer visitors have made their way home. The beach town streets are a completely different scene in the fall and there is no better time to wine taste as you take in the colors of the Northern Michigan trees.
I love summer’s busyness, its demand for attention, its plea to soak up every minute of it outside. But fall slows down, with quiet, foggy mornings that blanket the ground. Fall means books and blankets and cozy nights cuddling. Fall is for trips to the orchard, carving pumpkins, and bonfires with friends. Fall is crockpot cooking, hearty stews and soups that welcome you home after work. Fall is an early Saturday morning run before college football starts, a Michigan sweatshirt the default wardrobe.
Fall is for riding boots, layers, and scarves. Fall is for bike rides to the brewery, holiday crafts, and autumn décor. Fall is reflective in ways other seasons are not, a perfect season for writing, reading, slowing down. A season for practicing gratitude and thankfulness.
Fall is September, my favorite month of all.
Fall is my birthday and my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.
And I have a feeling this fall is going to be my favorite of all.
What are you most looking forward to this fall? I’d love to hear!
Emerald & Oak 