As we welcome in a new season, I’ve been contemplating change. After all, that’s what a new season is: change. What do I love about the fall and what makes me want summer to last forever? Here’s what I came up with:
Things I love about fall:
• Boots and scarves
• The many colors of leaves
• Cooler weather
• Tea and comfy blankets
• Rain
• Fires in the fireplace
• School supplies
• It always feels like a new season of adventures
• Pumpkin everything (except, ironically, pumpkin spice lattes)
Things I don’t like about fall:
• Pretty much everything Halloween
• The emphasis on creepy crawlies and death
• The dying green of trees
• No more local farmers markets
• Horror flick invasion
• The eternal gray skies
• Cabin fever, thanks to the rain
It’s funny how there’s always something negative about change. Conversely, you can always find something positive about change, if you look hard enough. Take, for instance, my displeasure with Halloween. Orange is my least favorite color, I don’t like horror or creepy things, and I hate that many use it as an excuse to dress slutty. Yet I love the excitement of a child selecting the perfect costume, I love almost all things pumpkin, and I adore that the world cools down and I can don my favorite boots and scarf. Good and bad are interwoven throughout the changes of life. The negative provides opportunity for empathy within us, and the positive, gratefulness. But which do you allow to influence your attitude about change? It’s all about what you choose to focus on. I find that, when I let go of what I don’t like and focus on what I do, I always enjoy change. Change doesn’t have to be scary. It doesn’t have to be torture. It’s all about attitude. Abraham Lincoln said, “When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will.” I believe that is true about change. You get what you expect.
How do you feel about change and what do you love about fall?