September

September. It conjures up images of back to school and buses, fall leaves, and shorter days beginning.

For me, September belongs to summer. It starts as August ends and lulls you into thinking it’s just another sunny, summer day. But because of those previously mentioned school buses, it becomes more of an adult summer day. The stores are no longer full of moms with kids in tow, just moms. Recreational areas once teeming with both happy and annoying noises, are now quiet. A time for retired folks like me to soak it all in.

But then (insert dramatic music here), there’s a change. A heavier dew on the lawn. A chilly beginning to the day. Ever so slightly, day by day, the sun drops a little faster. Thoughts of pulling out the crock pot for that comfort food.

The calendar says fall, the air says fall but my heart says no, not yet! And I wonder if September isn’t a metaphor of life. Let’s face it, once you’re in your late 50’s, the autumn of your life is upon you. Regardless of how fit, active or mentally sharp you are, like a September day, one cannot be assured of the warmth of that summer day. That dew on the lawn? That’s my aches and stiffness as I get out of bed. I accept these things as the new normal just as we accept those shorter days.

September.

Ugh, don’t get me started on October……

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