Fall is here! According to my facebook newsfeed, that means it’s time for everyone to freak the hell out because pumpkin spice lattes are back in Starbucks. But for me, it just means a hopeful season of change.  At least I hope so.

I’ve been feeling a bit downtrodden lately, which I’m sure you’ve all picked up on from my previous posts. Life has just been an endless, exhausting circle this summer, and it has taken its emotional toll. So I’m excited by the changing season, because I can’t help but feel that it will bring important change for me as well. Maybe this makes me different than most people. I know everyone is usually dying for summer to come and the hot weather to begin, but I always find myself dying to feel that first bite in the air, and smell the first hint of crispness. It literally makes me giddy. I’ve been dreaming of the leaves changing colors, and when I saw the first advertisement for a corn maze the other day, I literally squealed. I keep asking my husband if it is acceptably cold enough to wear long sleeves yet, and I’m pulling out my scarves like there’s no tomorrow.

(Sidenote: I do freak out about one pumpkin thing in the fall, but it is not lattes. It is the pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joes. It is literally the best pancake mix ever. When I was in college I would buy 3 or 4 boxes at a time, and wake up my roommates every Saturday with warm yummy pumpkin pancake deliciousness. Cindy will remember this. This tradition was also frequently accompanied by the wearing of matching onesies, and partaking in whipped cream catapulting contests.)

Maybe my struggles will continue well into the fall. Maybe come Christmas time I will be just as lost and frustrated as I am today. But somehow I have joy and hope resounding. Every time that autumn wind comes whipping at my face and hair, my soul feels a little bit lighter.