From our marriage & parenting contributor, Mary Carver.
Every year, as I sprint (or limp, depending on the year) toward Labor Day and long for routine and cooler temperatures and colorful leaves and pumpkin spiced everything, I vow that this will be the year I really enjoy fall.
Summer is, quite simply, not my favorite season — but my reward for surviving it each year is autumn.
So you’d think I would enjoy it, right?
Ahhhhh, autumn.
Brisk air and comfy sweaters and crunchy leaves and hot drinks and apple picking and pumpkin carving.
Autumn, the season of change and preparation as we gently roll toward the holidays and a colder, more hectic time of life.
Right?
It sounds so romantic, doesn’t it?
[Speaking of romantic, don’t forget to date your husband this fall…]
But the reality of September and October and [hold me] November is that this season is just as crazy chaotic as every other one.
During these fall months, we have practices and games and rehearsals and concerts to add to the calendar, not to mention dentist appointments and counseling sessions and family dinners and book club and Bible study and craft projects.
(Seriously. Is there another non-Christmas season with SO MANY craft projects?!)
In my family we have a birthday on top of all of the “usual” stuff this time of year brings, and more often than not, as we dive bomb into the holidays I realize that I missed it.
I missed my favorite season, the best season of all (in my unbiased opinion!).
I missed autumn.
Again.
Well, not this year!
I’m determined to enjoy every bit of fall this year, and I want to encourage you to do the same.
I have a few ideas for making this happen, and I’m happy to share them with you.
Just in case you have missed an autumn or two, but long to truly enjoy this beautiful season.
Two Ways to Enjoy Autumn
1. Pick three things.
We all know the temptation of bucket lists, and heaven knows I’ve made my share.
But this fall, instead of adding every fall-type activity to your to-do list (not to mention printing it out and putting it on the fridge), why not keep it simple?
We’ve already discussed how busy regular life is before we begin adding field trips to the apple orchard or the corn maze.
So just pick three things.
Pick one special autumn food to make (my all-time favorite is this DELICIOUS pumpkin bread), pick one craft to make (I’ve already bought the supplies to make this wreath from Amy), and pick one trip to take (and if it just happens to be the church fall festival, THAT’S STILL GOOD AND FUN AND ENOUGH!).
Pick three things – a food, a craft, and a trip.
And then?
Use all that extra time you’ll have (hahaha!) to simply walk outside and breathe in the crisp air and enjoy the fall foliage.
Or do a fun fall activity.
Or watch a football game.
Or let your kids buy pumpkins on your next run to the grocery store.
(Believe me, they are still festive when they come from the grocery store and not the pumpkin patch.)
2. Count your days.
Time flies when we’re busy or when we’re looking forward to big events, and the days of fall are full of both those things for me.
So this year I’m going to make sure I am intentionally taking note of each individual day.
I mean, probably not EACH and EVERY day.
Let’s be realistic and accept that even every other day is still better than letting an entire season pass in a blur or parties and costumes and crafts and meetings!
A few ways you might make your days count this autumn are with a daily photo challenge, reading a seasonal quote or a scripture each day, or keeping a gratitude journal.
Or, if you’re feeling really ambitious (or unable to make a choice…something I am quite familiar with!), you could do one of those each month of the season.
Start reading a Bible verse each day this month, then take a photo challenge next month, and finish up with a daily gratitude exercise in November.
However you do it (and, really, keep it as simple as you need to), just do something to intentionally appreciate your days.
When it comes to enjoying every season, I sometimes struggle between committing to carpe-ing the diem out of life and remembering that, more than likely, there will be another opportunity to carve pumpkins if we don’t do it this week, this month, this fall.
But this year, I’m determined to let all of that struggling and striving and regretting go.
I am going to LIVE and LOVE and ENJOY this autumn. Will you join me?
Some other ideas to make the most of your fall:
