Photo by Ash Fuentes
The end of August signifies the end of my carefree routine in which I got used to living each day without school assignments due for three months. The start of every semester is always the roughest one for me personally. I see that for most people it’s the opposite, where around the middle of the semester is the time they get behind on their due dates and find themselves in a slump. More often than not, the beginning of autumn implies that the cruel winter is fast approaching along with their seasonal depression.
Yet, autumn has to be my favorite season.
Despite summer having the longest break from school, offering opportunities for travel, and providing time to spend with friends and family, completing personal tasks feels impossible. The heat wave melts away my motivation to do any personal tasks and I end up getting nothing done after weeks of telling myself I would finally start that one art project. If my friends want to hang out, sure, fine. I’m productive with other people. But as soon as I’m supposed to go to Target to buy something I seriously need, I’m suddenly in the mood for a Stay Home day. The couch adopts a permanent sunken side in its cushions as I stay there unmoving from the moment I wake until I fall asleep there.
Fortunately for me, fall is waiting patiently to arrive and pull me out of my bad habits. Spring often tends to be the season associated with growth and rebirth, but fall should be credited as the savior. Fall is about change and starting fresh… It’s the true new beginning.
Maybe the uplift of my spirits is caused by all the little characteristics only associated with autumn because they indicate how far I’ve made it through the year. Walking on campus, I don’t mind the way the breeze picks up because I’m just happy to see so many trees with burnt sienna highlights or yellow ombre. At home, I’m able to switch out all my t-shirts for cuddly sweaters, excited that my outfits will be so much cuter than they were a mere month ago. I can enjoy movies while sipping hot tea and keeping warm with a fleece blanket. The time of year gives me reason to wake up before three in the afternoon because there are more things for me to look forward to.
I shed away all the bitterness from summer and the regrets from the start of the school year. I come up with a brand new routine to get into, even if I’m still slightly behind in school. Finals are fast approaching, but that just means the semester is almost over. I realize that even if I plummeted earlier in the year, at least I’ve reached November. Then December will be better and again I’m hopeful for what follows.
Even though eventually, come winter time, the trees will shiver in the freezing cold, the sky will blend a hue of gloomy gray, and the sun will pale before going into hibernation, it’s not something to reflect in mood. Much like the autumn leaves, golden brown and decaying, that silently detach from the trees with the change of season, I too must remove myself from the place I had been stationary in for months if I ever want to catch a glimpse of some new scenery.
Kindergarten 