It happens so quickly. Summer ends and Fall begins. Well, not so quickly, but it seems like it. I realize that Fall does not technically arrive until Wednesday, September 22^nd.  But today with lots of rain and no sunshine in Raleigh, and temperatures in the 70’s, and having just returned from the sunny and hot Caribbean, it certainly feels like Fall. If I didn’t have a trip to sunny Florida next weekend (I know, back-to-back sun is nice!), I would put up my Summer clothes and get out my Fall clothes. But not quite yet. Regardless of the weather, however, it feels like Fall, which means it is time to think about a few things. The first of these things is change, which the changing of the seasons represents.

Our oldest granddaughter, Mary Grace, who is 16 years of age, was talking about the changing of the seasons a few days ago when we were with her. Our daughter, Tara, and her family which includes Mary Grace, live in Georgia, as close to Florida as is possible. So, their leaves do not change colors like ours do in North Carolina. Mary Grace was talking about that, about how much she loves seeing the fall leaves when she is in N.C., and how Fall is her favorite season. That morning she came out dressed for school in a big orange sweater, although it was to be in the high 80’s to 90’s in her town later that day! The crisp morning and it being September encouraged Mary Grace to welcome Fall.

What does Fall represent to you? Are you excited about the change of the season?  Is there anything you embrace about Fall, be it the season, or something else? Are you getting mentally prepared for the busiest of seasons, which begins with Halloween, soon to arrive in October? After that, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays, all which can leave us exhausted. While we don’t yet know how the holidays will be this year given the ongoing concerns with the viruses and vaccinations, I sense that many people are ready to celebrate with family.

These first few weeks of September are a good time to think about what we want this precious time of ours to include. I am saddened by the recent loss of family and know that some of my readers have also suffered losses. For me writing this and others reading it, we still have some time, and the time we have should not be wasted. Which calls the question, what is wasted time?

Time that isn’t planned can be wasted. Does all time need to be planned? Not really, but if none of our time is planned, then we are likely wasting some precious time. For me this means that I must follow through and do a task that I promised myself to do before the end of the year. I haven’t started on that task, so I should begin, or the end of the year will have arrived, and I will not have kept my commitment to myself regarding this.

Our time should be enjoyed. For me enjoyment can be as simple as spending time with family. That is why Mike and I rerouted from St. Maarten to Georgia last Saturday when our flight from St. Maarten was delayed, which would have resulted in us missing our connection to Raleigh. Instead of spending the night in Charlotte, we flew to Jacksonville, went to granddaughter Elsie’s soccer game, and spent time just visiting with family.  

Our time should be purposeful. Purposeful can be enjoyable, and fun can be the objective. Sometimes when we think about planning our time and that it should be purposeful, that sounds like work. Well, it does take work to make family a priority. Family work is the most important work of all. 

Think about it. What do you want your Fall to include? How are you going to plan for that? How will you know you have been successful with your planning and execution?

Perhaps you can set a couple, or even more goals, for how you spend your time these next few months. After all, the time will pass whether you plan it and make it purposeful or not.

Let’s get started.