A Moment to Breathe

As the year comes to a close, a sense of panic and the need to hurry often rises in the air with back-to-back family dinners, unneeded arguments about pointless topics, and the occasional yet unavoidable political conversation. The tension is often inescapable. 

I would know, as my family is well-versed in participating in all of these topics, yet family is still family and nothing will change that. But for me, the feeling of a true change in the air occurs between the months of October and November. The excitement of summer is over, people are back in school, so for me it feels like the world is starting to slow down in the best way possible. 

Even though I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, I’ve never experienced a “true fall” before or a real shift in the seasons where the leaves turn from green to orange, red, and yellow. While we do have a “Florida winter,” it does not happen until the months of January through March, and there’s no surprise of snow. Without the seasons changing in the South, the air does change for me. I feel the summer heat go away after a while, and the air feels fresher in my neighborhood as well as in Central Florida where I grew up and still spend most of my time. 

This shift brings a sense of peace to me and makes me feel motivated to make lifestyle changes. Whether it be eating healthier, working out before the New Year, or wanting to finish a book that has been collecting dust for weeks, I only get this motivation towards the end of the calendar year. As the year is soon over and while all the craziness of Thanksgiving and Christmas is about to take place, I know I’ve got a few good weeks before that happens. 

During the months of October and November, it is usually the time for pumpkin-spiced lattes and reading scary novels. I am mainly trying to catch up on my extensive reading list and going crazy for all of the caramel-apple-flavored snacks. By this I mean my household will devour an entire bag of caramel apple flavored lollipops, while my Dad and I still talk about Robert Egger’s Nosferatu and how he is still amazed at Bill Skarsgård’s use of Dacian in the film  (now the Romanian language). 

With this sense of peace and even normality approaching, I can’t help but wonder why this happens at the end of the year rather than at the beginning. I think it’s because everyone knows that the year is about to end – good or bad – and that we all want to move forward with happiness and a new set of goals. 

Brrr!

While I don’t take part in New Year’s resolution’s anymore, I technically start them around this time because I know they’ll stick. This just adds another reason as to why I believe that the “ber” months bring a different kind of a reset to my life. I feel more motivated, energized, and even more fulfilled when I accomplish my goals during this time of the year. I’m so thankful to have this change happen within recent years. It feels like I can, as well as the world, truly breathe again. 

Even with all of the good food and much loved family time, there’s something so special about the months of September through November. But November feels the most chaotic, yet peaceful at the same time. I know that I can actually check items off my seemingly never-ending list that never gets any smaller since I graduated from UCF last year.

I no longer have that “holiday stress” of getting essays and other projects done within a short amount of time. I know that I can truly take my time with life, and I no longer experience that ‘burden’ of falling behind in life both personally and professionally. I know that I can dawdle on goals that I have set for myself or if my Mom wants to join in. November especially brings us the time to slow down and appreciate life in all of its chaotic neutrals to remind us what life is all about. Taking a moment for yourself and for family is what matters the most, so we have to enjoy it while it lasts.