September is a quiet sort of month. Children are back in school; most families are done traveling after Labor Day; and the trees begin their silent “letting go.”
Trees are not afraid to shed the old leaves that have done their duty all spring and summer: providing a route for photosynthesis; shading the yard for babies and kittens to rest under; providing soft music on late summer nights when the wind blows. Red maple and eastern redbud are often the first to lose their leaves. Trees are not afraid of releasing the dying foliage. In the spring they will be rewarded with a fresh new suit of clothes.
Dried leaves hanging on branches don’t help the survivability of the tree. And when they do fall, they enrich the soil as organisms in the soil use them as nutrients. The trees no longer need the leaves, but like clothes in a thrift shop—there are others out there who do.
Most deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall and go into a sort of hibernation—dormancy, if you will. Their metabolism and energy usage slows dramatically. It is a sort of protection for them so they can grow during the warmer months of the year.
I have been thinking about trees and leaves and September long before I turned the calendar page. January seems to be the month to make new resolutions, change habits, lose hindrances anywhere from negative friends to useless diets.
September is a slowing-down month as we tend to collapse and taper off from the speed of summer We may be writing lists for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We may be preparing our outdoor flora and fauna for a long winter’s nap. I am beginning to see September as a “letting go” and “bedding down” time of year.
This month I plan to “let go” of clothes and books I’ve read more than three times and unused dishes and boxes and baskets that have served their purpose. Someone else, I am sure, can put these items to good use.
September can be a month to consider changing our habits a little as nature winds down. We can look forward to hibernating a bit (as the months get cooler) with soft shoes, warm fires (inside or out), quiet conversations over hot soup and pimento cheese sandwiches, and long walks at sunset when all the trees are dark sentries against the flaming sky. In September, we will prepare the way.
Make plans for slowing down. Most of us have spent the summer on vacations, in gardens, by the ocean, and outside fighting mosquitoes and gnats while trying to eat a well-done burger fresh off the grill. Not to mention entertaining family and friends. Start thinking about the quiet hush of fall that leads to sleepy, snuggly winter days.
We could all use a few months of slowing down. We can allow our bodies to recover from rich food, big crowds, canning and freezing gifts from the garden, laying in the hot sun, mowing the grass incessantly . . .
September can become a dying of sorts without the mourning. Out with worn to prepare for resting of our mind and bodies. Let September be the month to begin to take a breather and shake off summer to prepare for the winter when it arrives.
Happy Fall on September 22nd my friends. I am ready to grasp it wholeheartedly.
