I can't hardly believe my good luck but it is finally October again. I was ready for it in November, April and July. I was positively chomping at the bit in August. Usually I can exercise some self control and wait until my favorite month actually starts before I enjoy the seasonal bounty. Not this year, not even close. I have already had so many pumpkin spice lattes that I'm pretty sure my bloodstream runs orange. I've already watched 3 of my normal October movies and 3 more new ones. I've read a few October books and I've worn an October watch. I've bought October swag in non approved months, I've scouted several corn mazes, and bought a positively ginormous pumpkin. And am I sorry I did it, not one little bit.....ok, maybe a little, but I got over it fast and did more October stuff.
If you are new to the October Thoughts, welcome. If you are an old hat (or should I say, old pumpkin) and have hung in there with me through the years, thank you. I cherish the fact that I get to share my love of all things October with you. Thank you for letting me steal precious minutes out of your life to let me ramble.
Yes my little monsters and minions, October is finally here. Which leads me to my normal first October Thought, why do I like this month so much? Sometimes the reason is the same from year to year, sometimes different. I've thought long and hard about it, and for this year at least, here is my reasoning. I like magic. I like color. I like whimsy and things that scare me on my terms. I like monsters and spooky sounds, I like leaves and crunchy noises. I like dark nights and full moons, orange M n M's and pumpkin everything.
In October I feel nostalgic. Everything takes on the sepia toned fuzzy edges of memory. I think of little me and what I would normally be doing this time of year. I think back to Octobers past.
I believe in possibilities. When I open a wardrobe I fully expect to find Narnia. When I walk under a full moon and hear a howl I know there is a werewolf nearby. I wouldn't be surprised if one day I came upon a fairy in the woods or a monsters tea party. I also wouldn't be surprised if a corn maze took me to an alternate reality. I like to live in my imagination and October is the perfect vehicle for that. In October anything is possible. There are grand adventures to be had if only we know where to look or are open to them. October allows my inner child to pop out and explore. If Peter Pan could be a girl, then that girl is me. I never did grow up, I just wear an adult costume the other 11 months of the year.
I am actually happier in October than any other month. I always have been. Maybe it is because I can sense the wonder and possibility in the air that October brings. The world is dying in a riot of color and begging for us to notice and join in the grand celebration. It is asking that we step out of ourselves and our routines and grasp the splendor. My imagination comes alive in October.
This year bits of October leaked out into other months even without my prompting. I felt a chill in the summer air that whispered to me. It spoke of campfires under velvety black skies and toasted marshmallows. I saw fog escaping riverbanks and creeping toward country roads trying to hitch a ride. I felt the eyes of generations on me as I sat and ate my lunch overlooking the gorge high up on a deserted plateau. October is coming the voices whispered, October is here, I say now.
Someone decorated their house early for Halloween and I actually had to pull over to the side of the road because I was getting a bit teary eyed. In the last few years, October décor has really dwindled around here, and no it isn't because I am buying it all up. Maybe kids are getting older and the parents don't' care to celebrate. Maybe the people who did decorate moved. Who knows why, but it made me sad. It was good to see October come back again even in such a small way.
October is the embodiment of me. To me October is comfort. It is beauty and magic. It is possibility, joy, sadness, fright, fun and Technicolor. October is schizophrenic in the best way possible. On one hand you have soft blanket, firesides and leaves. On the other you have fangs, dark corners and screams in the night. The silly and the scary create a perfect blend.
October is the song in my soul, the cool breeze against my cheek. It is the enveloping smell of cinnamon and spice, the crackle of a fire, the hoot of an owl. It is the dark velvety corners and the things that live in them. I look forward to seeing what the adventure of this October turns out to be. Thank you for journeying with me.
