image; Jan’spageofawesomeness tumblr

Autumn always signals personal reassessment for me.  Whether it be in my home, my closets, my work and creativity, or even relationships.  It must be that old, back to school feeling.  Remember when you would get taken out by your mother for back to school shoes? It was so special and exciting you might even get a new dress or jacket out of the deal.  The first day of school was always a momentous occasion with new faces, new teachers and a  new desk.  A Whole lot of ‘new’.  Later, the smell of freshly bought textbooks and finding my away around a foreign campus.  Even then, back to school clothes shopping was a ritual for me.

source; Pinterest

That feeling is engrained forever and so reassessing my life to see what needs to be renewed or cast away is a customary September ritual for me.

It feels great to go through my fall and winter clothes and decide with fresh eyes what I will keep forever (my black cashmere cardigan that has a tiny hole in it) and what I will send to the thrift store like my fashion mistakes of last year, which may or may not have been the result of ‘retail therapy’.  It feels great to go through my kitchen cabinets and throw out the stale stuff (yes, I have stale stuff in my cabinets) and take stock of my cook ware.  Perhaps a set of these…In my dreams…

image source Pinterest

I’ve been pining for a Le Creuset Dutch Oven for years, maybe now is the time I will splurge.  But what color? What size? While I’m at it, I’ll throw out those pot lids that don’t fit any of my pots.  In fact, it’s a mystery how they even got in my cupboard. Next, the linen closet; I can’t think of anything nicer than a new set of sheets!  Those flannel sheets I bought a few years ago are wearing thin, so it’s time to replace with a fresh set.  Most people do this in the spring, but I guess I’m too busy getting out to the beach and enjoying the warmer weather.  I always look forward to putting out the warmer throw blankets and cozy pillows on the sofa…I just ignore my boyfriend who says there are too many…

image source; French Essence on Pinterest

Creative and work goals; sigh, I promised (to myself) I would get the first draft of my new book done by the end of the month.  I’m about 3/4 through the story and I’m going to keep on plugging since I slacked off all summer.   Next time I wake up at 4am, I will get my butt out of bed and start writing.  Weird, but that’s the best time for me to work on my novel.  I need to reorganize my desk as I’m convinced this will encourage the creative process.  Also, I must continue to sift through old papers weighing me down.  Did you know shredding divorce papers is very therapeutic?  There will come a time for you as well, when it will all be over and you will look at the piles of emails and letters and say to yourself “Really? Is that all it was about?”  Time to let go of the unnecessary.  Time to move on.

Relationships; well I’m doing pretty well in this department.  I’ve learned through the years and sometimes the hard way that it isn’t worth hanging on to people who don’t care about you.  It isn’t worth keeping relationships in your life that are one sided.  Setting yourself free of the negativity and focusing on the people who love you (unconditionally) can really make a difference in your life.  You’ll notice your whole outlook on life changing.  You’ll notice your self esteem sky rocket as you reach for the stars.  Invest in those who love you best, you can’t go wrong…

My kids are both taller than me!

A few other things I love about Autumn; crisp apples, cool nights, harvest moon, my kids’ birthdays, warm afternoons on a deserted beach, sweaters, scarves, cozy blankets and real fires (not the fake ones).

That’s my autumn, what’s yours?  Is it time for a cool change?  What’s on your mind?

Leave a comment I LOVE ’em!