09/18/2024: Football and Festivals and Everything in Between

We’re finally less than a week away from the first day of Fall. I’m filled with anticipation as I do a seasonal clean, prep my Halloween movie list for October and get ready to decorate the apartment. I appreciate every season to some extent, but there’s something about the feel of Autumn that makes this time of year my favorite. 

I currently live in a place where I’ll actually get to see the leaves change and feel the chilly weather, and I’m ready for it. I’ve already gone off the deep end and indulged in just about everything pumpkin that the city has to offer and I’m just getting started. From coffee to beer and cookies to ice cream, I’m always on the lookout for anything I can get my hands on. 

When I was younger, Fall used to mean back to school, Friday night football and fall festivals at the local church. I think the small town feel and the nostalgia of tight-knit community was instilled in me at a young age, and it’s a feeling that I still chase and try to preserve, especially during the time of year where I remember so many old traditions so fondly. 

Now that I’m older, I still love football and festivals and everything in between, but now I’m addicted to coffee and I have bills to pay. Some things have changed, but so much hasn’t. And in this season of change before the winter slumber, I always like to take the time to reflect on where I am in relation to where I’ve been. So much from my past will always define me, but I know so much more is ahead as I learn and grow. 

As I shed my own version of colorful leaves this season, I will hold on to the valuable lessons and anything that allows my mind and heart to remain open to future possibilities. I will continue to move forward, to pursue the things I’ve been pursuing, and I will also just enjoy the marvels of nature. The world is really beautiful, everywhere and all the time. We just have to look. 

Though I love nature in all its forms and all its seasons, I can never quite describe the beauty I see in the fall. That first crisp autumn morning, the cool air, the vibrant leaves, the feeling of a warm sweater or a trench coat, the smell and taste of seasonal brews, the unbridled passion and rage I have for football, the love I have for Halloween movies, pumpkin carving, and lame parties for two with just me and Caleb, where I dress up and make punch and where we watch Charlie Brown. 

Fall, I’m ready for you.