I can feel it – fall is in the air. Well, almost.

After the panic of summer-is-almost-over comes acceptance – and with it the renewed energy of fall. Maybe that comes from my childhood association with the return to school (nerd that I was, I loved going back to school). Maybe it’s the invigorating feel of cooler weather, the crispness in the air – I don’t know. I just know that the shift has begun.

Even as I hope more tomatoes will ripen, I’ve begun thinking about preparing the garden for winter – planting bulbs, mulching and all that stuff.

Even as I plan for a lazy holiday break this weekend (can you plan for that?) and a camping trip the next, I’m thinking through crafty gifts I want to make for the holiday season. [This is the sure sign I've shifted from summer to fall - gift planning. And - I know, I know - it seems waaay too early, but I used to work in retail and got in the habit of getting it all done before mid-November because there just wasn't time after that to so much as catch my breath. It made a big impression. It stuck with me.]

Equinox: equal day and night. Balance. One foot in summer, one in winter – yep, that’s fall. Maybe the energy of fall comes from awareness of all the changes going on around us? As we shift our weight from one foot to the other, the external change inspires internal change…

Always makes me want to run out and take a class.

Related posts:

1. Work According to the Seasons
2. On Seasonal Changes
3. Solstice
4. It's a season, not a day. Part 2 in a series.
5. Catching My Breath