September Contemplation: Well, Hello Fall
Monthly Post #4: Transitioning into Falling Up

Finally, it’s fall. 

Floridians know why I say finally. Even though we don’t get changing colors and cooler weather in September, fall marks a transition into eventual cooler weather and a nearing end to hurricane season. We know it’s fall only by the calendar date and the advertisement of pumpkin muffins and latte. Still, it’s official. It’s fall. A new opportunity to fall up and out of a heated world. A time to transition.

I like that word transition. It seems more welcoming than change. For some reason we get bent out of shape when we’re asked to change something, change ourselves, or change direction. But changing seasons offers something to look forward to, something new, as in, “Thank you, Lord, I made it through summer.” 

A fellow Toastmaster spoke of transition yesterday in her speech as she described how her little church is now moving toward a multi-level platform, seemingly just when elderly members were locating their mute buttons on Zoom. Another change seemed a bit overwhelming. She talked about this “tension of discovery” and the importance of developing trust and allowing for time through the transition. 

All this changing and transitioning and shifting and pivoting we’ve had to make on account of a pandemic, can create fear, anxiety, anger, and even tension…in a bad way. But it’s fall now. And fall brings with it a new season. I like to view it as a time to fall up, not down. A time to enjoy pumpkins and apple pie and perhaps for some, even cooler weather. A time to step out of the heat.

I experienced a sneak peek into fall over the weekend when I took a quick trip up to Michigan to visit family. I woke to crisp temps, smiled at farmers’ pumpkins proudly spread on front lawns for purchase on the honor system, and even stopped once to pick a ripe red apple from a roadside tree. Oh my gosh. Pinch me. It really is fall.  

I cannot wait to eat pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie and maybe I’ll even go all out this year and decorate, for it definitely feels like it’s time for falling up and transitioning out of a much-too-heated world. 

Well, hello fall. 🙂