A Simple Fall

One of the lasting impacts of all those years I spent in school is that Fall always feels like a beginning to me.  The frenzied summertime rush to do it all --- vacations, amusement parks, summer camps, overnight guests, and every outdoor concert and art fair is over, replaced by cooler nights (though still-warm days) and a return to a regular routine.  After a solid month of guests (our guest room was totally booked in August!), the beginning of September found me breathless and tired and vowing to simplify my life. I enjoyed seeing the family and friends who were here (well, mostly anyway!), but am overjoyed to have my house back to myself and more control over my days.

And I'm not alone.  Since our final guests departed almost a week ago, I've certainly noticed that I'm feeling more centered and calm, but it struck me just today that the boys have been more settled as well.  They've been choosing quieter activities, like reading and Legos, over the more typical choice of Nerf gun battles.  And they've been very connected, both physically and otherwise, to me and my husband.  When I asked Ben how he was feeling the other day, he said "I'm glad to have our tight-knit family tight again."

So, as I regain my energy this week, I am reminding myself that we don't need to take advantage of every opportunity to sign up for a new class or take on a new activity.  The temptations to fill our time and "not miss out" are strong for me, and the vow to simplify is easily broken amidst the excitement of possibility (if you could only see what our schedule looked like last Fall!). But the joy we've all been feeling this week as we wake up and realize we don't have to rush out anywhere, or to entertain anyone, or to quickly clean the house before the next guest arrives is sweet -- and very much worth savoring!