September is a time of beginnings, tucking in, getting to work, emerging from a season of living indoors in air-conditioned hibernation. The morning light is slowly shifting toward fall. I can finally be outside again in the early hours working on my garden. It is my New Year’s celebration, much like in Ethiopia where they observe this holiday by celebrating the harvest and transitioning to a new season. This has always resonated more with me than turning the page in the dead of winter.
September is usually a time of return. People who fled the heat of the city are back in town. School is back in session. Season ticket events are gearing up. This September is different, uncertain. The cultural markers are missing but the cycles of nature are a constant. Birds are beginning their migratory journeys, squirrels are busy building up their stores for winter, bodies of water are cooling, and the contrasts of morning, afternoon, and dusk are more apparent. Look to cues of nature for your compass this year.