
Maybe its me being born an October baby, but fall has always been my favorite season.
Or maybe it was growing up in the Midwest that instilled this insane love for all things fall. There is something so sacred to me about this magical time of year.
Every single thing about it makes me soften right up and feel so connected to the past.
Every year on my birthday, I wake up without the alarm, brew a cup of tea, and curl up with my journal to reflect on the year and set intentions for the year to come.
It is such a special ritual. I lived in Orange County for several years, and anyone who has ever been to southern California knows that 9 out of 10 days are sunny and gorgeous.
Well, for as sunny and positive as I am every day of my life, I have to say that the fall baby Midwesterner in me absolutely loves a gloomy, chilly morning every now and then.
Well, for the 5 years I lived in SoCal, it was almost like God/The Universe/All That Ever Was And Ever Will Be was listening to my heart’s desires, because every single birthday I had down there was gloomy and chilly! At least for the first few hours of the morning.
It was always humorous to me, like it was a contract between me and God that if I did this journaling ritual, he would gift me my favorite kind of day.
Just Some October Things That Make My Little Fall Heart Go "Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub" ...
The smell of bonfires in the evenings
Sitting around said bonfire at night
When the days are cozy and still kinda warm but come twilight you need
your hoodie
Homecoming
The way the wind chimes sing when a breeze comes through
The rustling sound the leaves make when the wind picks up
Drizzly mornings that call for sleeping in and staying in PJs all day
The changing colors of the leaves
The way the leaves dance in the street after they’ve fallen
That damp smell of dead leaves and wet dirt when you’re on a walk in the woods
(I seem to really like leaves huh? hahah)
Diffusing ridiculous amounts of clove, patchouli, ginger, cinnamon, fir, and wild orange
Walks around the quad with a hot tea in my hands (MIZ-ZOU!!!)
Mulled apple cider (maybe spiked with some Brandy if you’re feeling frisky … 😉 )
Halloween
Squirrels everywhere digging in the dirt hiding their acorns
Playoff baseball
The way it gets dark so early
Fall movies (faves include Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Casper, Stepmom, Beetlejuice, When Harry Met Sally, Rudy)
All the fall Yankee Candle scents (Pumpkin Spice and Autumn Leaves are the best!)
Orange twinkly lights on peoples’ houses
Scarves and beanies
Wine colored nail polish and lip stick
Chunky sweaters
Boots with your skinny jeans
Burnt orange and mustard yellow everything
Flannels
Wearing slippers in the house
Finally being able to cuddle under blankets and not pass out from the wretched heat
Mums on peoples’ doorsteps
Carving pumpkins
Pumpkin patches
All the squash at the farmer’s market
Hot soups for dinner
The melancholy that comes with shorter days, cooler nights, and the inevitable change that is happening around us all the time
Fall will always bring me joy.
It will always remind me of my mom and my sister, cozying up under covers in the living room with the pumpkin shaped lights strung up on the window valence, watching a Halloween movie for the 40th time.
It will always remind me of my dad taking us trick or treating and on long walks in the park with the dog.
It will always remind me of being a young girl in small town Illinois with no idea why she feels so happy this time of year.
IT WILL ALWAYS REMIND ME OF BEING CONNECTED TO SOMETHING GREATER THAN MYSELF
I think I would still be obsessed with October even if it wasn’t the month I was born in. Anne of Green Gables said, “How lucky are we to live in a world where there are Octobers”, and I couldn’t agree with her more!
What are your favorite things about fall? Tell me in the comments below!
Happy Fall, loves! Go get connected to your old self!
Xoxo,
Emily 😊