Yeah, yeah I know.  It’s supposed to be the 21st night of September, but I’m taking a little liberty here.  You see, the 24th of September happens to be the birthday of someone I hold near and dear – me!

September in general holds some great memories for me and a little sadness as well.  September will always make me think of the beginning of school.  Yes, I know school starts in August now, although I did see where a few of my friends and/or their children started after Labor Day.  That’s what I always remember.  The Tuesday after Labor Day in a new outfit, ready for a new classroom, a new teacher and for me, usually new friends.  I attended six different elementary schools, so September was always an adventure for me.  I remember Kindergarten in Tacoma Washington on my birthday.  Our teacher always drew a birthday cake for us, using any color crayons we wanted with candles, in my case, five.  As the years went on, especially in high school, my birthday was during marching season, so invariably I was at some football game or band contest on or near my birthday.

On my 16th birthday I received my first 10 speed bike, and a good friend helped me learn how to use the gears.  Then he gave me a sweet sixteen kiss on the cheek.  We’re still friends, even though it’s just on Facebook now.  My 18th birthday was the one where I received my first real adult kiss under a beautiful oak tree during a college band party.  We’re also still friends on Facebook.  Thank goodness for Facebook, huh? My 21st birthday was in my first apartment as a married woman and friends came over to make  drinks for me in a blender so new I hadn’t even used it yet.

After that, birthdays seemed to fly.  Again, always during marching season, I seemed to be at a rehearsal, a football game or a band contest.  I received a special gift right before my 28th birthday when my middle son was born. Between our 50th birthdays, Doug and I shared a party with a lot of wonderful friends.  Maybe we’ll do the same for our 60th, not too far in the future.  Last year for my birthday I was in meetings in Madison, Wisconsin and was serenaded by the most wonderful group of musicians from the North Central Division.  It just doesn’t get any better than that, my friends.

While I was at my last school, I chose the song “September” for our staff choir to sing.  If you could only imagine all of us rocking out to this song – we were awesome if I do say so myself!  But my best memory of the song will always be on awards day, the last week I was at the school, when several people came back from retirement and the choir rehearsed in secret to sing “September” to me.  It is a memory of dear people I will hold in my heart forever.

But September is more than just a birthday and a song.  It’s the beginning of shorter days, always a little sad for me.  It’s time for geese to start flying south.  It’s time for opening the sliding door and windows for cooler air.  It’s time for fall clothes, sweaters and jackets, not something I mind so much,  if only sweaters didn’t lead to winter parkas.  Sigh.  September is the beginning of pumpkins and apple cider, hay rack rides and football games.  I change the color scheme in my house from a beachy blue and green to a fall full of orange and purples, trading flowers for candles, light quilts to comforters and blankets.  The throws are out on the chairs and sofa and at the foot of the bed.

Fall in Nebraska doesn’t last very long.  The transition from Summer to Winter can be very abrupt, which is why I think Fall makes me sad.  Sometimes it’s a literal day when the wind whips up and all of the leaves fall at once.  I’m not kidding.  For a girl who moved from Ohio where the leaves stay beautiful for a long time and the seasons are more evenly spaced, Nebraska can be quite a shock. It’s the beginning of the end for the pool, sitting outside, summer winery visits and outdoor concerts.  It’s hard for me to get excited about going out in the cold.  As my contemporaries will verify, fall  is the beginning of joints aching and bones creaking.

I have a friend who has begun practicing “hygge”, a cultural concept which vaguely translates to “coziness, togetherness and well-being”.  It’s a way of life for people who live in cold, dark areas of the world, like Denmark, for instance.  It’s a little hard to explain, but it’s all about creating an environment with friends and family of comfort and warmth, slowing down and enjoying one another.  It’s about surrounding yourself with cozy comfort and warmth, using simple things like candles and throws.  The way it’s described, it’s not so much “doing” something, but it’s more of a way of thinking.  It buffers people against cold, solitude and stress.  I’m thinking I need to strive a little harder to create this for us this year as I do tend to isolate and get bummed out because I feel stuck inside.  Changing my behavior just might change my attitude about the changing seasons.

So while September holds a lot of great memories and anticipation for even more, there is that trepidation about what’s to come.  But if I try that attitude change, maybe in December, I’ll find the love we shared in September.  The 24th day of September : )