What the Cooler Air Reminds Me

By late September, I start looking forward to my morning walks in a different way. The air is cooler now, and I can stay outside a little longer without feeling as though the heat is trying to send me home. I’ve never done especially well in hot weather. These mornings feel like a small kindness.

Fall has arrived, although it doesn’t announce itself all at once. A few leaves change color. The light reaches the sidewalk at a different angle. I step outside and realize I might want a jacket. The season changes in little increments, and somehow the whole world begins to feel different.

I’ve been thinking about how rarely we notice a change while it’s happening. We recognize fall when the trees are brilliant, but its beginning is quieter than that. The same can be true in our lives. Something that once felt necessary starts to feel less important. We find ourselves drawn toward a new interest, or less willing to spend our time in ways that leave us depleted. We may not have a name for what’s happening yet. We only know that something has shifted.

On my walks, I don’t have to figure any of that out. I can just notice what’s there: the cooler air, a familiar tree looking slightly different, the pleasure of being comfortable outdoors again. It’s a relief to spend a little time paying attention without needing to turn every thought into a plan.

Perhaps that’s one of fall’s gifts. It makes change visible, and it gives us time to watch. A tree doesn’t turn color in a single morning. For a while, it holds both green and gold. We can see where it has been and where it is going.

I think we deserve that kind of patience, too. We can miss an earlier version of our lives and still be curious about what comes next. We can be grateful for what a role, a routine, or a relationship has given us while acknowledging that our needs have changed. There may be an in-between period when both feelings are true.

As September comes to a close, I hope you’ll give yourself a chance to enjoy the season in whatever way suits you. You might take a walk, sit outside for ten minutes, or open a window in the morning. Notice one thing that has changed since last week. Then, if you feel like it, ask yourself what has changed in you this year.

You don’t need an answer right away. Some things become clear only after we’ve lived with them for a while.

For now, I’m grateful for these cooler mornings and the chance to begin my day outdoors. I’m going to keep walking and see what I notice.

Thank you for spending part of your day with me. If someone you know could use a moment to pause and appreciate the season, please share this journal with them. And if someone shared it with you, please subscribe to Julie’s Journal so we can keep this conversation going.

With gratitude,

Julie Bolejack, MBA

The Mindful Activist

P.S. Enjoy