Celebrating October

Nearly the end of the month and I've only managed two posts! (Some of you may be glad it's only two by now since I write so much! :)

Our little (40 lb) dog has brought us lots of joy so far--my husband, who wasn't as enthused about her as I was at first, is her favorite (of course!) and she LOVES spending time with him. I'm watching my back just in case she decides 3's a crowd...We've dealt with bath-time trauma and her tortured brown eyes asking us what she ever did to deserve such a dastardly fate, scary yapper dogs in the neighborhood (these little barkers actually seem to scare her more than the big dogs!), and taking her on her very first hike (which she seemed to really enjoy, much to our relief, since we're huge hikers). Both of us are so glad to have her! Plus she makes us laugh with her dogness.

I'm loving all the crunchy fallen leaves that are on the ground now, the colorful mums in bloom, and everyone's pumpkin-decorated lawns; so picturesque! I know it's only a matter of time until snow, ice, and way-too-cold temps make a comeback, but I'm trying to put that out of my mind as much as possible right now--and with 70 degree weather this week, that's easy to do.

After returning from a work-conference in Nevada, where their cold day was 75 degrees, I realized that I need the change of seasons--mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It's good for me to have regular change (is that an oxymoron?) instead of monotony. As much as I complain about winter, I need it. I need a predictable pattern of change as a way to mark the passage of time (vs. having everything stand still), and to feel my growth as a forward progression ("I was in this place in my maturity when it was winter, now that it's summer again, I can see where I've grown so much"). For me, I think it would be really hard to move forward if I felt the seasons were stuck at one particular time of year (always summer, or always spring, or, heaven forbid! always winter).

I know not everyone feels this way, or needs this change like I do (otherwise, who could thrive in Southern California, Hawaii, Siberia???) and am glad that I live in a place that gives me this chance for change.

Thanks for reading :)