“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” This is one of my favorite quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald. I love this quote for a few different reasons. One being that it is simply a beautifully written sentiment. The second being that I think it perfectly summarizes the fall season. I used to not be a big fan of the fall. It meant that summer was coming to an end and school was starting and living on the east coast meant that temperatures were about to get frigid. However, as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to love this time of year, and not just because of the pumpkin-spice flavored everything. Fall has become a time of renewal – a fresh start. It’s a time right before the holiday season begins to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far this year and to plan out what you want to cross off of your list before the year comes to an end.

While I can’t deny that it’s hard not to get caught up in all of the seasonal festivities, it’s also important to take a moment to breath, to appreciate this time of year and to plan out the next chapter of your year. Typically, when people think about the fall season they immediately skip past the changing of the leaves, the shorter days and longer nights along with all the other opportunities that the season brings. Instead, our minds tend to rush towards thoughts of family gatherings, hectic schedules and how many paychecks are remaining until Christmas. My point is that while we are taking the time to clean out our closets and change our wardrobes from summer to winter why don’t we do the same with our mental closet?

Artist and intellectual, Ariel Garten, once said, "Much of the time we are transfixed by all the ways we can reflect ourselves out into the world and barely find the time to reflect back deeply in on our own selves." I think that self-reflection and meditation can play an extremely important role in one's life, however, in today's "get up and go" culture, they are ignored more often than not. Sometimes our personal seasons do not change in accordance to Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall but the opportunity to start fresh with the changing of the weather is something that many of us do not take advantage of.

While I fully promote the indulgence of a pumpkin-spice latte and binge-watching your favorite scary movies, I also suggest that you set some new goals for yourself with the beginning of this new season. Don't let yourself get so wrapped up in the transition of the season, but rather let the season compliment your transition into a new chapter of life.