Growing up in the North and going to school in the South was probably the best decision I ever made in my life. Pool parties in November? Yes, please. Not having to wear a puffy winter jacket to the bar? Hell yeah. Never ending Summer? Sign me up. Any place where I can keep my tan all year long is the place for me. But, even though my friends cringe with jealousy whenever I post a beach pic on Instagram while they're buried under 3 feet of snow, I'll have to admit I'm jealous of them too.
Summer all year long may seem like an endless paradise at first, but it does get old after awhile. Eventually, you start to get tired of sweating at bars or sweating whenever you walk 10 feet anywhere in general. You start to wish for jeans and long sleeves and all the things you grew to love about the Fall that you won't be experiencing anymore.
I think the number one thing that sends us all into a spiral of weather confusion is missing out on Fall fashion, which I know we all love. Online shopping and seeing your favorite stores go from shorts and sandals to boots and cardigans is tragic, knowing it would be a waste to ball out on clothes you wont get much use out of. Your favorite outfits that once made up your entire wardrobe at home barely see the light of day now, unless it hits below 70 and your mind somehow convinces you that means it's officially Winter time. RIP scarves and comfy sweaters.
I'm gonna miss the chilly mornings walking out of my house and seeing an ocean of freshly fallen leaves covering the ground in every shade of orange and red. Or feeling them crunch underneath my favorite brown leather boots while I drink an actually hot coffee for a change. Apple picking or pumpkin picking just isn't a thing down here, even though places try their best to set up make shift "pumpkin patches" with just a shit ton of hay barrels. Sure you still throw on a flannel and go anyways just because it makes for a cute Instagram pic, but it's nothing like the real thing. Halloween doesn't really feel like Halloween, and you practically wouldn't know it's Thanksgiving if you weren't going home to really enjoy the holiday properly. It could be the middle of December, but it still wouldn't feel like Christmas is just around the corner when you walk outside and see sunshine and palm trees every day.
Now I know we live the life some people can only dream of, but that doesn't mean we don't get homesick and crave the comfort of what we grew up with. I guess it's true what they say-- people always want what they can't have. I may live where you vacation, but I definitely realized that not everything that shines is always gold, unlike my tan. However, I'll be sure to say a prayer for my loss of seasons this year when I'm happily laying in the sand drinking a margarita right before Winter break.
