October came in more like a lion than March ever did. Usually by this time of year, I've got a good routine going. This year my days have been everything but "normal." I've always struggled with being an optimist; it's much easier for me to think of all the worst case scenarios than to imagine a good one. However, after nearly a week of constant worrying, sleepless nights, and anxiety attacks, I'm ready to start looking on the brighter side of things. This week I have so much to celebrate, and God has provided me with so much more that I should never go a millisecond where I'm not grateful for all He has done, is doing, and will do. I am actually very good at romanticizing life, but I usually take my own ideations as the standard and when life pales in comparison, well, I'm left disappointed. Disappointment after disappointment on top of disappointment adds up.
Sometimes you need only to take a step back and enjoy the simple things. One of the reasons why I'm getting off of social media is due to the fact that things are so blatantly edited, heavily filtered, and it's easy to get caught in the comparison trap. This autumn, I'm not worried about what someone else has to do to enjoy the season or what I'm possibly missing out on. I'm going to follow my nostalgia and enjoy the season however I see fit. It may look incredibly simple, but I'm learning that it's better to do with less. You have better opportunities to enjoy every moment in life when there are less distractions.
This autumn I want to soak in every second I can, especially when it comes to: morning cups of coffee or evening mugs of cocoa with whipped cream, nights by candlelight watching my favorite childhood films with a bowl of kettle corn, writing and creating and reading fanciful stories, placing a pot of mums on my doorstep, wearing comfy & cozy sweaters, carving or painting a pumpkin, baking anything pumpkin and enjoying caramel apples, getting outside to enjoy a picnic in the crisp autumn air among the fall foliage and, finally, enjoying the trick-or-treat traditions with my kids.
Slow, simple, but assuredly autumn! I'm happy that the sun is shining for me again, figuratively and literally. Now that autumn is arriving in the Bluegrass it's time to milk the season for all the pumpkin spice it's worth!
