I recently saw an image of a Fall-themed painting that got me thinking... It was of a pumpkin and the pumpkin was shades of orange and aqua blue and the background was aqua blue. Not your typical fall color scheme. It made me think of the ocean and summer's last stand as we simultaneously kick-off and embrace pumpkin-everything season.
I thought of all the seeming contradictions of October that all happen at the same time. A perfect example is the weather here in the Northeast - occasional hot summerlike days mixed in with chilly, sometimes frosty nights. It's a month of flip-flops and boots, sleeveless tops and sweaters, iced coffee and warm apple cider.
It's a month to embrace change and letting go - exemplified by the leaves changing colors then falling. Letting go to move forward. Yet it's also a month to embrace perseverance and permanence. Those trees let go of their leaves yet remain firmly rooted in the ground. They will remain and there will be yet another cycle of growth and renewal in the Spring.
October is also the settling in of back-to-school season and the last month before the holiday season starts up (can you believe it?)
It marks the start of the final quarter of the year.
October hosts Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ADHD Awareness Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week, and World Mental Health Day on October 10. Plus, of course, Halloween - a day when we can all be kids again.
As usual, it's a lot! Let's be kind to our mind, have some fun, and embrace this month with all of its complexities and possibilities!
Wishing you all the best that October has to offer!
October is a symphony of permanence and change. – Bonaro W. Overstreet
