November Vibes
I am LOVING November already. It's crisp and cool and beautiful out there. I love October something fierce, but there's just something so happy and soothing about November. It's a beautiful month of fall with holiday joy and gratitude mixed in. It just doesn't get any better.
Just to be clear, I’m not getting into “the debate” with you here. I’m a pretty blunt person, and I’ll be honest with you - it’s ridiculous. I don’t have a set date for decorating, and I’ll decorate when I feel like it’s time. Whatever makes you happy, you should do. Literally NOBODY can say anything about how and when you decorate your house or get in the spirit of Christmas.
You want to listen to Christmas carols on November 1st? You do you.
You want to wait til after Thanksgiving? Do that!
Glad we got that settled.
As excited as I am for all of the fall festivities, I’ve been all in my feelings for the last couple weeks. I’m slowly embracing the fact that not every season is going to look the same as the year before, and no holiday is ever going to be exactly the same as any before. I may enjoy different things and participate in different activities as time goes on, and that's okay.
Just like the seasons, people change.
It’s a good and healthy thing to continue to change over time. I know that.
But sometimes it’s hard and a little sad, too.
For a long time, football games were a staple to my fall. I was in the marching band, so I was in attendance for every football game for the vast majority of my high school and college years.
For a few years after I graduated, it felt weird that football games were suddenly no longer a part of my life. I felt like it wasn’t fall if I wasn’t at a football game every weekend. I made a point to go to one few years ago, but even then, it wasn’t the same. At this point, I haven’t been to a game in years, and I’ve been missing it a little bit. And that’s okay.
The reality is, I’m no longer in the marching band. I haven't been for a while. That chapter of my life is over. I’m 28 years old, a homeowner, wife and dog mom. It’s simply no longer a part of my life. A small part of me is coming to terms with that, and it’s a little bit sad. What used to be such a big part of fall for me is now just a memory. It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling that I get reminiscing on long days of rehearsals and performances and pizza and friends and joy.
Those days are gone, but they have been replaced by things that are new and joyful and good. I’m an adult now and I enjoy my Saturdays sleeping in, making pancakes with Elliot, baking new goodies, and spending time with family and friends. I get to go to craft shows and orchards. I get to take long walks with my two pups. I can have an impromptu gathering with my family and share a meal and make some memories together. These are such good things.
One day, I may not get to sleep in on Saturdays or make pancakes. I may not get to host as often as I do, and I may not be able to hit up a craft show on any given Saturday. I'll look back on these days and miss these times, but I'm sure there will be something new and wonderful that I will be enjoying at the same time, and even now, I look forward to that. Maybe one day I'll be the mom at the soccer fields every Saturday morning with the largest tote bag full of snacks and literally anything else one could possibly need, or maybe I'll only have Saturday mornings to write my blog, so I'll sit out on my porch and write in the quiet, or maybe there's something else I haven't even remotely considered. Who knows?
What I do know is that the season I'm in right now is a good one. It's a season of growth and joy and gratitude. It's a season of less football, and more yummy homemade meals. A season of less worrying about the future and more living in the moment. A season of chilly nights and steaming cups of tea. A season of fuzzy socks and snuggles. A season of love, and of peace.
It's a season that goes by far too quickly, so savor it.
Make the most of it. Before you know it, we'll be moving right along to the next good thing.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8