Impressions of Autumn

Tiffany Banman - Pure Anada Social Media Manager 

As the word Autumn gets tossed around in September, I can’t help but get the feels all over. For me Autumn isn’t just a word, it’s an emotion. A warm, sweet, crunchy, fragrant, spicy, fuzzy feeling. 

I got to thinking about what the Fall season represents and one word seemed to encapsulate my thoughts – change. This word evokes various reactions from various types of people. For some people, change is refreshing, inspiring, and new. For others, change means breaking out of their comfort zone, facing the unknown, and the unpredictability of new things. Each personality faces change in different ways. 

I would like to think of myself as an extrovert and most people are sure that I am, but in all reality, I know that I am a born introvert. As an introvert I have experienced both sets of emotions listed above. Fall used to throw me into some sort of depression. It just threw me off. I couldn’t see the beauty of everything around me dying in Fall. It somehow felt like a piece of me was dying with the scene around me. My heart and mind couldn’t wrap itself around dark, dreary, and cold. I would hold onto every ounce of Summer and every single last ray of sunshine. I would begin to dread the onset of Fall as early as August and anxiously wait for the first leaf to change colour, watching so carefully to NOT see it that I was first one to spot it every year.

I can’t really trace back to the exact time that Fall changed for me, but it did. I guess one September, I purposed in my heart to at least try and feel what everyone else was expressing. I got tired of the fear that gripped me every year. It was time to make fear work in my favour – to let it wake me up, not shut me down (a little quote from Divergent there – can’t help it) I began to realize that change is a good thing, a necessary part of life, that variety is the spice of life – in so many more ways than just seasons. 

Now when the air changes and leaves begin to crunch under my feet, I breath a little deeper and step a little harder to get the full effect. 

For those of you who naturally transition into Fall, I’m sure you’re wondering what all these “changes” are that seem to be unnoticeably happening around you. Let me tell you, so that you can embrace them on purpose along with me. So, what all changes in Fall? 

The atmosphere, obviously. There is no air as pure as the air in Autumn. A walk during this time of year is probably the best thing for your heart, your mind, and your soul. I was talking to a friend the other day who goes for a run every night. She was confused because she can’t seem to commit to a gym membership, but she has no problem lacing up and hitting the streets for a run each night. She posted a picture of the Fall colours in her town and expressed how she realized that it was the scenery she gets to enjoy everyday that motivates her. Who can enjoy nature at the gym? Unless you consider the smells and sounds from those working out around you – I guess that’s nature too 😊…Moving on - Who’s all on the Pumpkin Spice Latte bandwagon? Can I get an amen? Every Coffee Culture & Starbucks gears up and braces themselves for the hoards of women (and men) that get their daily fix of this sweet and spicy offering. Autumn means breaking out the leggings, socks, and oversize, chunky sweaters. It means candles and baths, soup, pie, and Thanksgiving. It means craft markets and early Christmas shopping. For me and my work team, it means a trip to Winnipeg (on the boss) to watch a football game! Score!...or…touchdown? For my Dad and my brother, it means the start of a new season of NHL. Take some time to look around during this season and realize what Fall means for you.

Routine changes in the Fall. For Mama’s, it means back-to-school shopping. Maybe it means their youngest facing their first year of school and their first bus ride. Not always easy for Mama to pack that lunch, strap on the backpack, and watch that little one take on the world. Bittersweet emotion and huge change. For students, the carefree summer and YOLO attitude is forced to take the backseat as they refocus on the big picture and their goals. For our Dads who are working outside, it means coffee in a thermos is no longer an option, but a welcome necessity. It means gloves and scraping off the first frost. 

Relationships change year-round and at every turn of life, but I guess this stands out to me because I faced a sad parting with a friend in my teen years that happened to be in Fall. I also went through a break-up with a boyfriend during this season – killer. People change, don’t they? But we change too, and sometimes without even noticing it. Sometimes, these partings with people in our lives are the result of us growing out of them or just a necessary parting of ways so both parties can continue to grow in different directions. I read a quote about Fall that sums it up: “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” As hard as it is to say goodbye to people who’ve contributed to your life, seasons are inevitable, and life doesn’t wait for us to catch up. Just remember that the closing of one door means the opening of another. Face the unknown with anticipation and realize how much your attitude about a situation can change its outcome.  Autumn, the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful. 

Fall is easily a time of reflection and re-evaluation. A reflection of the whimsical, spontaneous days of summer and a re-evaluation of goals as you face the last four months of the year. For me, Fall is somewhat of a reawakening. A chance to put everything back into focus for the last bit of the year. To really make it count, to take it all in, to really live. To take it all in at home during family dinner, at work as I’m smashing projects, at social events when things are hopping, and especially during those Fall nights when I look up at the sky and the stars are at their brightest and on display just for me. Remember, you only get one life, it’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible (last quote from a movie, I promise. That one is from Me Before You) I hope this blog post inspires you to look at Fall in a new light.