The best things about fall

Sometimes I have to remind myself that the activities I think I just don't have the energy to do, often end up energizing me more than I thought possible.

It's funny how that happens.

Thursday evening, for example, the kids wanted to play football after dinner.

Front yard football is a game Jeff is usually more than happy to play with the kids.

But Jeff was working.

And I was exhausted.

But I knew it would be far better for the kids to run around outside, rather than plop themselves in front of the TV for an hour, and so out the door we went.

As AJ and Gus raced around the yard, Sydney took time to appreciate the effect of the rain and wind earlier in the day. Picking up some of the brightly colored leaves, she exclaimed, "It's really fall!" 

I think that's when it hit me - one of the things I love about my kids. They have an amazing way of reminding me of the really cool things I forget are so special. They encourage me to stop worrying about the big picture and instead to simply stop and enjoy the moment.

Fall is an absolutely gorgeous time. But rather than savor the glory of all those bright red, orange and yellow colors, I tend to focus on the negatives. Like all the grey and white I'll be starting at until next May. And let's not forget the days are now shorter than the nights, and will only continue getting shorter for the next three months.

But winter isn't here, yet, and dreading it won't stall it's arrival. So why do I waste the energy thinking about it?

As my wise four-year-old pointed out, fall is here. And on evenings such as last night, when the temperature is still warm enough to play outside in light jacket, it would have been so very wrong to do anything other than race around the yard after an underinflated mini-football.

Super dog! Gus's position is wide retriever. He had so much fun running around and dodging the kids, he happily stayed in the yard the entire time.


As the game progressed, Sydney's competitive side kicked in. Enough with the pretty leaves. She wanted to score a touchdown! Taking advantage of her brother's tackle, she took off!

The more I think about it, the shorter days are the perfect length right now. We've got enough time to play after dinner, with a natural reminder of when it's time to go in and get ready for bed.

By the time we were done, I was feeling so much better. Thank you AJ and Sydney, for reminding me to stop and smell the crisp fall air.