Fall

9-1-23

September is my favorite month of the year, no contest.

Yes it helps that my birthday is in September. But beyond that it’s just so clearly the beginning of Fall that it’s hard not to like.

Marie and I wake up around 5:30 am these days, and are on the road by 6:15 am. When we first started this routine in the middle of Summer the sun was usually already up by the time we hit the road. But as the days went on I noticed that it would be a bit darker in the morning, and quite a bit cooler.

It’s also the shadows. Since I’ve been working out of a Starbucks for a few weeks now I’ve got my own routine with that. The joint isn’t too far from Marie’s office, and I get off earlier than her, which means I have enough time to walk from the coffee shop to her work. It’s good exercise, but it lets me be outside. I’ve noticed, however, the shadows sit differently. They stretch more than they did a few weeks ago—like they’re reaching for something else.

The heat, however, has remained quite the same. Some days it cools off to only 89° F, but there’s been quite a few triple digit days in the past month or so. I don’t mind the heat so much, but I also appreciate the coolness.

I’ve always loved Fall. I remember the season in high school most clearly. All the leaves falling, the crisp in the morning air, the scent on the wind. I remember balancing on wooden walls by the soccer field, talking to a crush whose heart I would later hurt. I remember painting myself blue because it was Halloween, and the school picked a Disney theme, and my friend Doug and I were Aladdin and Genie. I marched shirtless!

I love fall because it lasts about as long as you think it does, it’s my birth season, and because even if the days aren’t as long, they feel so full.

Love you mom, dad, sis, kitty, Emerson, Amelia, Marie

-E.B.