When the first crisp kick of autumn air hits my lungs, I’m taken right back: Pink Pearl erasers, pinchy new shoes, and a schoolbag full of pristine supplies. For grade three I got a brand-new Barbie lunch box with a matching thermos.
Now years later, in the hopeful glow of another shining September, there’s an added tension between all the To Dos on the calendar and my limited capacity To Do It All. Secretly I enjoy the euphoric buzz I get zeroing in on my calendar with the hyper-focus of an air traffic controller bringing in a bunch of jumbo jets on a foggy day. Of course, if they get it wrong, human lives are at stake. If I overbook, I get a headache and have to miss a writing class or coffee with friends.
The Fall smorgasbord offers so much; I want to heap my compostable paper plate with apple spice cookies and harvest celebrations. So many classes to take. There’s Dance Yoga at the community centre - two of my favourite activities rolled into one! How can I not sign up for that? There is all the fall maintenance our old house needs: fourteen wavy glass storms have to go back up in mid-October. There’s a bucketload of fall birthdays and family members to see. My high school graduating class’s 50th reunion. Endless projects: clothing to mend, a box of old family letters, tubs of yarn (Do you want some yarn?). I keep a secret bin of crayons and paint for emergency art, my soul’s first aid when I get overwhelmed.
Let’s talk about the overwhelm. “The Instagram Fall” is a creation of those Pinterest Influencers making money convincing the rest of us schlubs to make pumpkin journals out of old business envelopes; projects that we’ll never finish. Too much of this stuff will bring on “Seasonal Expectations Disorder”, a little talked about condition. Heads-up: S.E.D. can intensify with exposure to those retail displays of Christmas decorations on sale beside the Halloween candy. Really? There should be a warning label.
So if you are also vibrating with excitement, fear, and too many Pumpkin Spice Frappucinos, I may have found the remedy ( never mind where ) to your “S.E.D.”:
Here are “The 7 Steps to Fall Success”
Make shorter project lists. (Must be less than seventy-seven).
Prioritize things into Need Tos and Want Tos. (No, Pumpkin Journals are not Need Tos)
Estimate the amount of time each project should take. (Add three hours)
Pop all that into a master Spreadsheet. (May require taking an Exel or Numbers course)
Stir it up with a budget.
Bake in some soft and hard due dates, and
Layer those into your extra-large squares on your extra-large wall calendar
And easy peasy pumpkin pie! Successful Fall!
Unfortunately, much as I love a spreadsheet, this plan doesn’t allow for those real-life events: The constantly fluctuating energy levels. Those unpleasant emergencies: the flat tire or flu or both at once. Those exquisite little moments that remind us to pause: inhaling that fresh sharpness of cold fall air. Or stepping barefoot onto the lawn to feel the crunch of dried leaves underfoot. The sweet smell of fresh coffee already brewing when you wake up in the morning.
And, there will be, inevitably, at least one big “didn’t see that coming” life issue that requires more emotional reserves and thoughtful attention than you knew you had. Recently, our young adult roommate announced he is not returning to work for the foreseeable future. And has no intentions to do much of anything for a few months. Talks are ongoing. Apparently marrying rich is on his list of options. I’m sure that’s not a job description. Call me old school.
Oh school; Back to school! A few days ago, I was browsing the eraser section in Staples when I saw a mom with her daughter in pigtails and those light-up wheely Bratt sneakers going up and down each aisle. They were shopping the way my mom and I did, ticking off their items from a hard copy list of Grade Two school supplies. The little girl chatted excitedly about her new Taylor Swift lunch box and matching pencil case. You go little girl! I cheered silently as they paid and headed out into the glow of a shiny new September.
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