September is here, which brings delicious thoughts of autumn leaves, cool breezes, and relief from the relentless California sun. Though here on the West Coast, these thoughts are pure fantasy, born of stories from the Northeast of rainfall and trees turning and contemplative images of sipping tea, gazing at a picturesque downpour from a window seat, reading a book.
Of course, for many of us, September brings memories of going back to school. There was a ritual that I think has been lost now, as every school year seems to start at a different time. From kindergarten to 12th grade, school began the Tuesday after Labor Day. Labor Day was the time when summer lovers bid a sad farewell to the season. But I was never sad, because I was not a summer girl. I always leaned with longing towards the cooler months.
I remember shopping for school clothes with such excitement in August as a teen, picking out "deep greens and blues" and maroons, browns and rusts... long-sleeves and corduroy pants... only to show up to school on my first day in my favorite new outfit and swelter through the day. Then reluctantly come to school the next day in a summer dress.
Growing up in Los Angeles, "cooler months" was relative. One had to pay very close attention to detect the shifts in season. To this day, I still love to sense into those subtle changes. How the shadows shift and the sky becomes more muted. My eye troubles render me sensitive to excessive sunlight, so it is always a wonder when I can go outside without sunglasses. To relax my eyes and just take in the world and its quiet alterations.
We are in the midst of what I hope is the last big heatwave of the summer here in the Bay Area, with a week's worth of temps above 100. I will have to hold onto those visions of autumn for awhile longer!
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Art by Catrin Welz Stein.
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