Today is already September 5th,
which means we in the Northern Hemisphere
are only about 2 1/2 weeks
from the Autumnal Equinox on the 22nd.
As Viktor Frankl said in his book "Man's Search for Meaning,"
time is a paradox. It moves slowly while we are in it,
but when we look back
we are shocked at how quickly the days have come and gone.
So here we stand at the cusp of a new season.
Summer wanes.
Autumn begins.
I like this quote from Julian Barnes,
British-born author and former lexicographer
for the Oxford English Dictionary:
When you’re young you prefer the vulgar months,
the fullness of the seasons.
as you grow older you learn to like the in-between times,
the months that can’t make up their minds.
Perhaps it’s a way of admitting
that things can’t ever bear the same certainty again.”
More accurately, I like Barnes' recognition of those
months that are the "in-between times."
I think that describes September well.
Not summer, not fall.
In between the two.
But with all respect to Mr. Barnes,
I still prefer the "vulgar" months of summer
and the fullness of their season.
I'll concede there are some nice things about autumn
that we can look forward to.
Until then, we may as well enjoy
the in-between time.
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