Fall rituals: finding your pieces of comfort

I love fall.

Nevermind that a Texas fall is not really much of a fall compared to the kaleidoscopic trees of the Northeast during the turning of the seasons.  Almost in spite of itself, the Texas temperature sinks, low enough to put a fire in the fireplace, low enough to need a blanket or two to stay warm in the evenings.

Fall is a sleepy time.  The world is bedding down for a long night.  She’s grasping the corners of her mantle and giving it a brisk shake, as you might a bedsheet or a lumpy pillow, preparing for slumber.

It is also a time of profound change.  Perhaps more than any other season, fall represents a shedding of old foliage for the new, the fresh, and the meaningful.  There is a real poignancy in this season, a grief in surrendering old habits and comforting methods to make way for novel possibilities.

There’s also an excitement about fall that I truly love.  I don’t know if it hearkens to my back-to-school days, the anticipation of Halloween, or some other feature.  I’m sure others are enamored of other seasons—summer and spring have their own pleasures, and winter, too.

But for me, fall is my favorite season.

Last year, Starbucks had an ad campaign that caught my eye.  When they began serving their traditional fall beverages, they posted an ad that said “Take comfort in rituals.”

I thought this was very good advice.  It got me wondering about rituals specific to season.  As always, my aim is to help you bring more ease into your day to day world.  And so, I thought that I would list some simple rituals tied to the season.  I invite you to partake of one or two this week.

1.)     Enjoy a favorite fall beverage—apple cider, hot chocolate, or spiced teas.

2.)    Make a leaf pile somewhere and then lose yourself in it.

3.)    Let yourself feel the cold nip of morning air before you bundle up and head about your day.

4.)    Take a trip to an orchard or pumpkin patch.  Pick something off a vine or tree.

5.)    Rediscover your favorite recipes for soups and other fall foods.  Remember who taught it to you, or where you got it from.

6.)    Decorate your home—it is up to you if you want to transform your abode into a Halloween haunt or simply buy a spiced candle to burn quietly on a counter somewhere.

7.)    Go for walks outside.

8.)    Get reacquainted with your favorite scarves, caps, and gloves.

9.)    Pumpkin bread.  Candy corn.  Butternut squash soup.

Which rituals bring you comfort and why?