An Unhurried Autumn

I used to choose a word for the whole year. I liked having something to guide me, but eventually I realized that one word felt like a lot to ask of twelve months. By the time I got to summer, I might need something entirely different from what I’d needed in January.

So I started choosing a theme for each season instead. I had a Summer of Sway, followed by a fall Rooted in Enchantment. Last winter was This, Too, Is Living—a reminder that life doesn’t go on hold just because it’s cold and dark. Spring brought Solo Side Quests, and this summer I was Stretching the Season, embracing the longest possible stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Now it’s time for a new one.

I knew what I wanted this fall to feel like long before I knew what to call it. I wanted crisp mornings and those comfortable afternoons when you can still sit outside. I wanted to enjoy the last camping weekends at the canal and whatever dahlias the garden gives me before the frost. I wanted books, comfort food, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and evenings by the gas fireplace. All the good stuff.

But while I was thinking about fall, part of my brain was already dreading winter. I could picture the cold and the dark so clearly that I was in danger of letting them steal a season I actually love.

I tried a few phrases. Some sounded too much like an assignment. Some were almost right but didn’t quite sound like me. Then I finally landed on An Unhurried Autumn, and I knew that was it.

It isn’t a promise that my calendar will suddenly be empty. Let’s be realistic . . . I’m traveling and working and calendar is pretty full. Instead, this is a wish to slow down and pay attention to each day. To notice the cool air instead of immediately thinking about how much colder it will get. To enjoy one more campfire without counting how many are left. To let the dahlias be beautiful today without worrying about the first frost.

And I keep coming back to this thought: don’t borrow winter while it’s still autumn. Winter will have its turn, whether I like it or not. For right now, this is the season I’m in, and I want to be here for it.