Preparing For A Change In Season.

The chills settle in quickly, as though they had been there all along, just waiting for the sun to finally, gently settle in the distance. 

At first the cool air breezes into the bedroom nights comfortably, almost soothingly.  The colors of leaves turning and falling, seems like a slow motion ballet of the universe, where we bear witness to another change of the season.

Then a rainy day comes and goes and you're able to see the leaves change.  The sun remains out but no longer carries the weight that it did in August and September.

As time passes a growing sense of anticipation of what comes next begins to settle upon the consciousness.

It sends a reminder to the soul that slight chills will become an outright cold.  That the need for warmth and heat will become paramount.  That the days will become filled with less sun, and more of a bitterly dark sky.

The pessimist in me, the depression in me, it all gives off a sense of dread that I know that I'll have to combat.

I think the best way to do that is to find the sunshine in the snow and to rely on the relationships of friends and family.  That despite the oncoming weather and grey skies, try and find the beauty and positive in it rather than focusing on the obvious negatives, and share your positive feeling with those close to you.

For example, while over the next week the weather calls for 50 degrees, clouds and off and on rain, my wife and I will be shopping for our first Halloween house decorating experience. 

This may sound small for you, but to us it's a big deal.  It will be our first opportunity to show our neighbors a bit of our own personality.  We want to be known as a great family-friendly place in our community and to enjoy the experience the same way we did when we were children. 

I have no idea what the costs of things will be, what ideas I can or can't execute.  I'm going through the process a bit blind.  For this reason it kind of excites me, that this can be its own little adventure to write and share.  How many skeletons will be in my yard?  Do we have power outlets to give off creepy lights, sounds or fog?  Will I go super adult and play a live part and try to jump out to scare the kids?

Later there will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, and I'm sure some birthdays to celebrate. The point being there will be opportunities to enjoy life despite the dropping temperatures.

The earth can be an unforgiving force sometimes.  The weather will undoubtedly have an affect on not only myself, but many others.  However it's important to recognize that there are things we can do about it to help ourselves through it, and when it gets cold, we have the options to become close to others and share in the warmth.