FALL-A N T I C I P A T I ON!

” Boo” to You and You and You!

Dear Reader:

Finally… September is here! It is the first day of September and as British poet -Philip Larkin-inscribed: ” Autumn has caught us in our summer wear.”

BUT… in exactly three weeks -to the day-Thursday September 22 , 2022 Fall officially arrives-the Autumn Equinox when the day and night hours balance out. With so many ” two’s” in this year’s date… I feel that this Autumn will be special ” too!”

I am not alone in a serious ” longing” for Fall… a recent report from so many states ( that unfortunately broke lengthy triple digit records this summer) -declares that they are pining too for cooler days and nights.

Honey and Susan both admitted to me that they had Fall on their minds, also, when Honey sent ” Boo” socks to me and pumpkin cookies arrived from Susan. I certainly agree… but the older I get the faster time flies it seems. So as much as I might want to click my fingers and have the equinox arrive instantly … I am wise enough to know that Fall will vanish just as fast and the equinox ( that ushers another trip around the sun for me… is adding another number by my age! )

So I didn’t make cookies or buy socks but I got my first mums and fall flowers yesterday …so I can stop time long enough to admire their beauty. Soon I will plant them and add to the fall garden but right now I am giving them their ” fifteen minutes” of fame! My gift to September!

I saw an article recently about the importance of slowing down-instead of trying to do everything and be everywhere -and I liked the phrase-” Wonder Increases as Speed Decreases.” ( David Haskel)

I perfectly understand the comment ” As we cover less ground we uncover more.” My side garden is small but having watched it over a year’s time now… I have been fixated on the changing seasons and the plants who survived and flourished, as well as, the ones who didn’t…. searching the causes behind both.

I find myself spending more time in the little garden than my large backyard one because I am recognizing the birds who live there, those who visit and the insects who enrich the soil and the ones that destroy the plants. But the best lesson of all? When we narrow our field of view -our horizons expand.

So until tomorrow… William Blake summed it up perfectly-” A World in a Grain of Sand.” We can experience the world in a grain of sand but not until we stop to notice. We walk past thousands of natural miracles everyday from the sun making its daily arc into the skies…to the birds singing outside our windows and the Harvest Moon grinning with its orange delight. Now we must stop and take delight in God’s amazing gifts! They are just waiting on us to do so! So pause and open your eyes to the miracles around us.

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh

Today is also ” Rabbit Rabbit” Day-the first day of beautiful September. Don’t forget to holler ” Rabbit Rabbit ” today and have an amazing month filled with good fortune… IF you open your eyes to the spiritual gifts around you.

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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9 Responses to FALL-A N T I C I P A T I ON!

  1. Rachel Edwards says:

    Becky…I agree that we should not rush things because the older we get the faster time goes…but since my grands are coming yhus and I went ahead and pulled out all my fall decorations for them to enjoy. I am looking forward to cooler days to be able to get out and enjoy God’s beautiful world. The heat and humidity bring havoc to my ashtma. I hope that we can get a time for me to take you to Middleton Gardens as soon as it gets cooler. Rabbitt…Rabbit!

  2. Jo Dufford says:

    Thanks for this! You have my family saying, “Rabbit! Rabbit!” For many of my school years, school started the day after Labor Day. Maybe the weather and no AC had something to do with that. I always loved this time of year with all the shades of orange in the leaves, usually a few cooler days, the excitement of football games, walking in the woods and hearing the leaves crunch, usually some celebrations after the harvest and starting a new year at school. I liked your quote from William Blake. For those of us who are older, it is a wonderful period of our lives because some of us have slowed down so that we are able to really enjoy the wonderful blessings from God that Blake mentioned.

  3. Honey Burrell says:

    Fall has to be my favorite season as well! The colors and the crispness in the air make me real happy for this beautiful time of year. I too am slowing down and enjoying the ride!
    So thankful for this stage of my life as well!🥰

  4. Sis Kinney says:

    Good morning Becky-

    As usual, a wonderfully thought-provoking blog! Your mention of the date of the autumnal equinox made me realize: on that date my dad would have been 100!! He died a few weeks after his 90th birthday! Wow! How time does fly!

    While I am NEVER ready to give up summer (MY season!), I am so grateful that we live in an area where we experience each season. I reluctantly leave the summertime and join in the fall activities – eventually – “kicking and screaming”!! LOL

    Much love,

    Sis

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