You can feel the change. It’s cold outside. Well, not Midwest or Northeast cold, but definitely California cold -- which simply means I closed the windows here at home around 6:00 this evening. It seems that Autumn has arrived, and, for that, I am very grateful.
I’ve written previously about my love for Fall. In fact, I’ve probably mentioned it in at least one late-September or early-October blog post every year since I started Attitude of Gratitude. There is something special, even magical, about the transition from Summer to Autumn. The colors on the trees around here have not really started their annual show yet, but I know it’s coming and I’m looking forward to enjoying those days and weeks.
Having grown up in the western part of San Francisco, I was gratified to move to the warmer climate of the South Bay for my college years. My decision to stay in this area after graduating from Santa Clara University was based, in part, on the weather. I didn’t want to return to the fog of The City, and the daily weather report of “High fog along the coast, extending inland night and morning.” I loved the sun. I savored the warmth. And the Santa Clara Valley, in the pre-tech days, was a delightful place to live. Well, just as the valley has changed, I have changed, as well.
No longer do I lay out in the sun trying to get tan. After doing that for many years in my younger days, I’ve paid the price, with two skin cancer surgeries on my shoulders and a pre-emptive topical procedure on my forehead. I learned my lesson. Now, as the transition from Winter to Spring and then Spring to Summer unfolds, I enjoy the warmth, but I choose to enjoy it in the shade. By late September, however, I’ve had my fill of warm weather. I’m ready for the cooler days and nights of Autumn, knowing that Winter is right around the corner.
Autumn also makes it more pleasant to take daytime walks. The late-Summer temperatures in the South Bay make such walks a bit disagreeable, so I most often choose to walk in the evenings. Now, however, the mid-day temperature is ideal for getting some much-needed exercise.
I’m sure we’ll have a few more warm days in the weeks to come, but those will still be more temperate than the heat of Summer. I’m just happy to know that I’ll be putting on my warm jacket more and more in the coming weeks.