second chances

inhale. exhale. september.

it's always fascinating when the seasons change, at least in a temperate climate such as the northeast. like clockwork, you can see it in the way the shadows fall, smell it in the air, feel it in your lungs. and, for so many years, that labor day shift from a lazy august to a crisp september was synonymous with "back to school"--that sunday night feeling of dread to the 10th degree.

but, there is no more back to school for me. there is only back to work...another holiday, another week, another autumn.

adjusting from the academic calendar to the real-world calendar is somewhat comparable to a really long case of jet-lag, but i think i've finally warmed up to the idea that the new year begins in january...and i like it.

for seventeen years (give or take kindergarten), i more or less unfairly despised september. new classrooms, new teachers, new homework, new attitudes, new clothes (well maybe not the new clothes). basically, it was a really long monday, and i think that feeling needs no explanation.

over the past few years, as september has taken on this new identity, i've learned to appreciate it for its refreshing weather and surprising calm. and because i just can't pack enough analogies into this essay, i equate it now to something of a meandering walk in the park between summer and fall, and i think it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.