Fall is in the Air...

Song of the Day: Ode to the Butterfly by Nickel Creek.

There is a smell in the air today. It's not a strong smell; it's probably not even potent enough to be noticed by anyone other than the autumnites.

I noticed it as I stepped out of my car this morning (returning from Amanda's after having watched The Conjuring last night... scaaaary film) and took a deep breath. The best way I can describe it is as an "icy" smell (for serious want of a better phrase because it's nowhere near icy outside). It's the only word I can find for it; somehow, the smell in the air is an earthy, frosty smell that can only be Fall stretching as it wakes up from its year long nap.

There's even a slight nip this morning, on top of the typical morning coolness. It is very slight, but I can feel an edge to that "summer morning cool" that has accompanied us for the past couple months. I know that edge well. It's the first sign of change - the first sign that Autumn is coming. As I write this post, drinking my coffee and planning the day, I keep standing up, going to the back door, pressing my face against the screen and breathing deeply. That smell and edge make me smile.

It can be hard to notice when fall is coming, because the midday is still summery warm at this point in August. However, the changes begin at the beginning and at the end of the day. Before things begin to warm up in the morning and as things cool down in the evening, the smell and the edge make their presence known. I've felt it on and off for a little over a week, but I noticed it - I mean noticed it - this morning.

Autumn is, and always has been, my favorite season. It's a season of memory and reflection, of nostalgia and reminiscence, and yet it's also a season of change. All of the major changes in my life - be them good or bad - have occurred in the Autumn months. Every year my family and I go to Maine, and it never fails to be right at the beginning of the "time of change." This year, my parents, grandmother and I are going next Saturday. I could not be more excited.

Spring and Summer were difficult times this year. I think they have been some of the hardest months that I've experienced in my life, with the struggle that I have had with anxiety. Yet, I feel that shift in the wind is more than a literal change. This is going to be a good Fall. Something is going to change for the better and I am very excited.

I also can't wait for pumpkin beverages (Sam Adams' Oktoberfest is already out).