Switching Seasons

This time of year feels like home to me. I love putting on a scarf and an extra layer of clothes. I love the mild days walking among the colorful trees and I love the rainy ones by the fire. It's the season my body feels most comfortable in.

It also reminds me of my love of learning. The curiosity I have when I pick up a new book reminds me of the good feeling of starting a new school year. I used to made vows to myself to get my homework done on time, to keep my copy books tidy, to do my best. I loved the potential of creativity that lay ahead of me every September.

This time of year is about settling in, especially in Canada. We know what's ahead - thirty bellow temperatures, snow to shovel, hibernation time. The squirrels are frantic right now. Nuts are everywhere. Soon we will be getting out the snow boots, the snow pants, the Michelin man jackets, getting snow tires on the car. We will trade walks along the lake for time at the gym. Instead of chatting with neighbors we will take refuge in literature or television. Trips to the park with the kids will be replaced by extra curricular activities.

Before that happens, before I settle in, I am soaking up all the outdoors I can get, appreciating the change, marveling at the magnificence of nature, before it scares me indoors again.