Noticing

Hello September.

You arrived quietly for me. I took a very long nap.

On the way to the store you offered me a blazing red sun setting over the lake.

The light is shifting and the days are noticeably shorter than just a few weeks ago. Your sky is dark by 8:30pm now.

September doesn’t mean fall for us. September is more of a continuation of hot August. But the evening light is more orange. The skies are hazy most of the time. We won’t have quite as many 100 degree days, but they still pop up from time to time. It might rain a bit more. Or maybe not. And maybe, if we are lucky, we might have our first taste of cooler autumn days by the end of the month.

I think of all the months September is my favorite. I feel like I have always enjoyed fall the most, even before it because the “cool” thing to like. Before endless memes of Pumpkin Spice everything. I prefer the term autumn. I hate the phrase “Happy Fall Y’all” with a fiery passion.

September is always about transition and settling. August is hectic for us. But September eases us fully into routine. Even though it is still hot, night comes sooner. The trees look tired and a few early starts begin to change color ever so slowly. I don’t have to worry about the hustle of the holidays quite yet. So I let myself sink into September. 30 lovely days that usher us more deeply into the end of the year.

September feels quite. No holidays, except for Labor Day. But Labor Day doesn’t hold the fanfare that other holidays hold. Growing up it meant watching and then later marching in the Labor Day Parade. Now it means a quiet day at home, letting the last of summer slide away.

Years ago, in another space, I spent a few years writing down a joy for each day of September. It helped me to slow down time and notice this lovely, quiet month. I have thought about doing that again. But in writing this post I am not sure joy is the right word. Quiet feels like the right word. Or maybe noticing.

I can’t think of some catchy hashtag to inspire anyone to join in on my noticing. But I am still going to mark time this month. Each day, noticing the quiet of September, or maybe the joy or the beauty. Maybe by the end of the month I will have discovered my catchy hashtag. Then again, September isn’t flashy.

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