It was a lovely 72° as Sohrab and I strolled around the local farmers market, like we do every Sunday. This was the first time it was pleasant. For the past several months, it has been a chore to venture out into the bright sun as it beat down onto the vegetables.
Signs of autumn are everywhere. Halloween has launched into full gear in local shops, today is the official start day of PSL season, and there have been clouds in the sky every morning since Sunday. This change is delightful to a weary native southern Californian like myself. Any sign of “weather” gets me to sit up a little straighter in my seat, eager to dance in the possible puddles that are inevitably pooling in my mind, rather than the pavement. Even now, as the cloud cover cools the mornings, it’s hard to imagine a drop of rain coming from them. Perhaps it will happen soon, somewhere in amongst the forecast of 90° days in our foreseeable future. Perhaps those “It may rain, but we’re still in a drought” billboards strewn across the cityscape will actually get wet.
This mental transition is a calming one. It’s all I desire while in the dead of summer, wasting away beneath the naked rays. Even the slightest dip in temperature reminds me that “beach weather” will not last forever, and I’ll actually get to wear something long-sleeved again. Cozied up under a blanket, hood up, gloved fingers wrapped around a coffee cup.
The first day of autumn isn’t technically until September 22nd. The day after Sohrab’s birthday. Two weeks from now. Perhaps that’s the reason for the high temperatures, the people grumbling about pumpkin everything coming too soon, the college kids defiantly beach-hopping between classes. But I am among those who yearn for the colder weather – not only because we thrive in comfy, warm clothes, but also because with it comes the holiday season, celebrations surrounded by friends and family. It’s a happy time; a spiritually warm time.
In this in-between space, I find myself floating. What’s next for me? For us? Our one-year wedding anniversary is just under a month away. What have we accomplished in that time? We’ve become increasingly better at transitions. Moving from 2 years long distance to living in the same city, from 3000 to 20 miles apart, was one of the biggest ones – a testament that our relationship could handle whatever time may throw at us. By the time we had been together for 5 years and engaged for 1, we bought a condo and moved in together, prepping for married life and nurturing our fur family of 5.
The perfect path through this imperfect life has led us here, into yet another transition. The world is full of changes small and big, and it’s important to reflect upon each one – after all, it is what has made us who we are.
Happy pumpkin season!
