I don’t know about you, but I think of September as one of those in-between months: too warm to be fall, too busy to be summer. The calendar indicates that fall begins in September, but I don’t feel it. I never know what to do with September, frankly.
October, on the other hand, is a whole different story. Definitely autumn. Annual plants are wearing out. The days get noticeably shorter. Even in south Texas, the weather finally cools off. It’s my favorite month of the year because it ushers in my favorite season (no matter what the calendar says.)
Here are five things I’m not even a little bit sad to say goodbye to, when October rolls around.
Air conditioning
I bless the inventor of air conditioning, and I have no idea how anyone survives in this part of the country without it. Still, one of my favorite turning points of the year is a cool morning when I don’t have to turn on the AC in my car. Blissful silence. Also, not having to drag a sweater along every time I go to the grocery store (or the movie theater, or my office) is a delight.
Scorching sunlight
I’ll probably never be able to live in the north again because I love sunny days so much. But I really don’t love the scorching heat of summer. When walking to the mailbox isn’t even worth the effort, you know the sun is just too darn hot.
Sweat
I have no problem with breaking a sweat at the gym, but while sitting in my car? Or walking across campus to get to a class? I’m officially over feeling sweaty for a good long while. Yes, I’ll be complaining about the cold soon enough–but I will never complain about not feeling sweaty.
Drinks with ice
Once again, I bless the inventor of ice cubes. They’re handy in all sort of ways and I’m grateful to have them on hand when I need them. But the older I get, the more sensitive my teeth become–and the more I hate ice in my drinks. Autumn is the season of hot lattes and mochas, the season when ice becomes less necessary and, in many cases, totally optional. It’s also the season when I can stop explaining my aversion to ice.
Going Sleeveless
I’ve grown more comfortable with my body as I get older–most of us do, I think–but I’m never totally comfortable in a sleeveless top or dress. Living in south Texas, I don’t have many other options in the summer. But when October rolls around, a little cardigan over the shoulders no longer looks so prim and proper–it just looks logical. I’m more than ready for the season of sleeves to be upon us once again.
No doubt I’ll be ready for some sunshine after a few months of darkness–even in this part of the world, where the winter gloom is short-lived, the turn toward spring is always welcome. But for the time being, I’m ready to wave goodbye to all that and say a big hello to cozy evenings at home with a warm drink, a good book, and the people I love most.
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