A Silly Ode to October

I know the calendar says it's the month of October but there have been days when it has felt as though it were July. 

When it feels like summer I am definitely one happy camper!!  It's all I can do to stop myself from driving to the beach!!  But then there are the shorter days when it now gets dark earlier and earlier and that is difficult for me to deal with.  It's really a downer to come out of work at the end of the day and it's dark already.

Autumn may not be one of my favorite times of the year but there are a few things about October that make me smile.  And when I smile, I relax and breath deeper, which in turn releases any physical tension I may be feeling.  Here goes:

-- Sweet childhood memories.  As a child, one of my favorite things to do was to shuffle my fee through the piles of leaves and collect the leaves that had turned color and fallen to ground.  I would take the leaves home and press them between pieces of waxed paper with a warm iron.  Moving the leaves around on the waxed paper, I would create different designs and when I found the one I wanted I would place another piece of waxed paper on top of the leaves (the waxed sides facing each other inside so that they can melt together) and slowly press the iron moving it over the veins and stems of the yellow, red and orange leaves.

 

I hope young children still get involved in crafty projects of this sort but probably not, right?  I'm not even sure that children still make their own Halloween costumes anymore but I'm hoping that they do!  I remember many times when my siblings and I just went into our closets and put costumes together for trick or treating and we always made a mess but had a lot of fun!

-- Pumpkins!  I love the pumpkin flavor plus I love actual pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.  Warm pumpkin pie is hard to resist and one of my favorite muffins is a pumpkin muffin full of cinnamon and nutmeg.  So yummy! 

Have you checked out what is going on with decorating pumpkins?  People are now painting them white, silver, gold and black and decorating them with circles and other groovy designs.  Pumpkins are not just for Halloween anymore!  I've seen them as decorations as weddings and centerpieces at gala dinners.  Use your imagination.  Since October is dedicated to celebrating the medical strides made towards fighting breast cancer, you could paint your pumpkin pink!

--Every month has its own personality and when award-winning children's book author (Where The Wild Things Are) Maurice Sendak wrote Chicken Soup with Rice A Book of Months, he made up a silly rhyming story for each month.  Here is Sendak's short ode to the month October: 

 

In October I’ll be host to witches, goblins, and a ghost.

I’ll serve them chicken soup on toast.

Whoopy once, whoopy twice, whoopy chicken soup with rice.

 

My attitude is the game changer in creating a happy and fulfilling life whether it's October or July. 

October is a month filled with possibilities.  I have no idea what great things could happen next to you or to me.  

 

Let's stay open to the positive and see what happens!!





Remembering Sept. 11th

One of the reflecting pools at the
 World Trade Center memorial site in New York City

Eleven years ago today, on the crisp and clear autumn morning of September 11, 2001 in New York City and Washington, DC, people went about the business of getting ready to lead their lives.

 

In both cities, people were unaware of the destruction ahead.  People said good-bye to their loved ones and left for work.  They started another day in the one place where they wanted to do their jobs and raise their families.

 

But it was not to be.  Almost 3,000 people died from the terrorist attacks and through the powerful recollections of those who did survive, we come together today as a nation and remember and recollect the unique paths of those who gave their lives on this tragic day.  We honor their memories and pray for their souls.  Today has become a national day of service and community service activities planned for today include writing thank you notes to veterans and military families, collecting coats for the homeless and building houses.

We thank God that we got to know them even if it was a short period of time.

 

In particular, September 11th showed me in the most graphic way possible that life really and truly can change instantly and in ways you never imagined.  While you want to believe and need to believe that you will see someone again, you can't count on that happening.  If there is something you want to tell someone you must say it when you feel it.  If you admire someone, if you like someone, if you are thankful to someone or you love someone, make sure they know it.

 

Go out of your way today and please make sure that the people you care about know that they improve your life, bring joy to your life, and that they are special to you.