Summer is officially over, and (unpopular opinion) I don’t mind at all.
I’ve always loved fall. The smell of woodsmoke in the cool, damp air; the way everything has cinnamon in it for a few blissful months; the collective tacit agreement to slow down and snuggle up more often. Growing up in California, I didn’t always get as much fall joy as I craved, but between going to college in St. Louis, then moving to London, and now living in northwest Washington, I’m finally living my best autumnal life.
Look, I can’t deny that I miss the morning light – getting out of bed is notably harder now that I wake up in the dark. And yes, it’s going to get a lot tougher to meet friends in this Delta wave now that it’s raining more often and lesser humans than I get too cold sitting outside. But that’s kind of nice, too, right? Or am I the only one who tends to cram in as much as humanly possible at all times, who needs nature to give her a nudge to stay home and curl up by the fire?
Honestly, with time slipping away faster and faster every year, I’m glad for the onset of this slightly slower season. I plan to spend more time reading and (slightly) less time writing. More weekend mornings lazing in bed and fewer Saturdays bouncing from one social engagement to the next, virtually and in-person. More evenings baking bread and fewer blasting through multiple freelance assignments and squeezing in as much Zoom education as possible.
It’s been a long, busy year, and I’m grateful to the rain for the reminder to rest.
Recent Writing
I’ve got nothing for you this month! I know – bonkers. Alas, it’s not because I’ve been relaxing; there are multiple pieces in the works or scheduled to be published, but nothing happened to land on September’s editorial calendar, so you get a break from my constant self-promotion ;)
Actually, JK, I do have one thing to promote: I’ll be teaching a virtual class on memoir-writing through The Loft Literary at the end of this year. If you or someone you know has a story inside them waiting to be guided out by a patient, if reluctant, authority figure, check it out!
What I’m Reading
Well, I followed my hankering and read all three of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy this month – turns out I never read books two and three as a teen! Shocking. They’re wonderful. I’ve also beta read a couple more books for novelist friends, and been reminded of just how talented my writing community is, and how much variety there is in all of our styles. I love it.
A Random Joy
I’ve recently rediscovered my love of swimming laps, after 20+ years out of practice! I’ve been going to the brand-new athletic pool at my local Y two or three times a week, and although swimming requires much more pre- and post-exercise effort than walking or at-home yoga (and my purple hair hates the chlorine) I enjoy it so much. The minute my body slips under the water and pushes off from the wall, every inch of me is glad I made it to the pool. It’s taking a while to build up my stamina – I take a LOT of breaks and do a lot of backstroke lengths to catch my breath – but I feel so good while I’m swimming, and so proud of myself afterward.
Oh, and as a bonus joy, loooook how perfect this tiny plate (courtesy of my mom, who gets it) is for my cherry lemon bar!