is september your "new year"?

Everybody knows that New Year’s Day is January 1st.  But, for me, the beginning of September feels so much more like the start of a new year, a new season.  The summer heat is waning, and youngsters are back to school.  I recall the excitement of getting new school supplies and new (at least to me) clothes for school.  September was the time to reconnect with all of your school chums, meet your new teacher, start learning all sorts of new things.

That sense of a fresh, new start in September has never really left me.  Last week, I got out the beeswax and polished up my fall boots and shoes.  You’ve been fun, flip flops – but your season is nearly over.  I’m looking forward to cozy sweater weather.  The autumnal wool colours are calling my name and my knitting needles.

The shorter daylight hours are also creating an urge to nest, to get my house in order after a very busy summer.  It’s time to sort through clothing and donate pieces that I simply haven’t been wearing for whatever reason.  You know what I’m talking about – those pieces that just don’t make you feel comfy or energized when you put them on, but you keep them anyway “just in case”.  It’s also time for me to toss those clothing articles that have been so well loved, so worn thin that they are no longer mendable.  I took the time to review what I had in my medicine cabinet and elsewhere – things like expired cold remedies, hand lotions that were almost but not quite used up, old herbs and spices that have long since passed their “best by” date.  

September also feels a bit contemplative.  It’s time to review what has been working in my life, both personally and professionally.  Where are advertising dollars best spent?  What knitting workshops are most loved?  What habits aren’t working for me?  Do I even need to talk about checking e-mails just before I go to bed?!?  Anything that is there at midnight can certainly wait until morning.  What routines do work?  I used to have just coffee for breakfast.  Then the day would get away on me and I might not have time for lunch.  By the time evening rolled around, I was famished and light-headed, and looking for something that took little to no prep time.  These days, I’ve been sourcing more and more of my food locally.  I bake my own bread and enjoy eggs donated by Gracie and Lilly, my summertime chickens from Barnyard Organics.  I eat smaller meals and snacks on a more regular schedule and feel so much better for it! (photo courtesy of Barnyard Organics)

Scottish poet Donna Ashworth wrote a beautiful piece entitled “Autumn” that is included in her soon-to-be-released book “Wild Hope”.  It speaks about how letting go of burdens creates space for new, exciting and creative adventures.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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And so begins the season of letting go,
when Mother Nature shows us all,
how it’s done.
Let go,
free yourself,
shake it off,
drop it,
give way for the new.
Create space for new thoughts, new ideas,
new adventures and new connections,
by shedding the dead weight you’ve been carrying around,
for so long.
And whilst you are there, being reborn and renewed,
let go of old anxieties too.
Let go of any doubts, fears or beliefs which no longer serve you well.
Release bitterness or past hurts which feast on your beauty.
Be brave,
Don’t fear the nakedness as your leaves slip away.
Mother Nature doesn’t,
watch and learn.
Donna Ashworth
Autumn, from ‘Wild Hope’