Start of the Year

September starts the year in many ways. There are the memories of school: new clothes, new books, new classrooms, new teachers, new places, new friends. There is also the edge, the excitement that is associated with something new. The weather changes and moves us from slow energy and sluggish summer days to brisk air and bright leaves. Autumn's arrival is also a reminder of the seasonal cycle. It brings the anticipation of cold, dark days of solitude and shelter. Autumn is the time to harvest for the season ahead. Energy comes in bursts. There is a need to start something new - signing up for a course, committing to exercise, organizing a book group, writing that first book. The autumn of life also brings new energy and excitement. The routines of midlife - career, child-raising, dailiness - give way to new time: unscheduled days, moments for lingering, opportunities to explore new paths. Regardless of financial wherwithal or a healthy body, the mind and spirit know that the fleeting years do not offer many more opportunities for renewal. This seasonal energy becomes far more important at later life than it ever was when the elementary school bus stopped at the corner.