Fall Already?

Two days left until September.

Generally at this point I am a little tired of Summer, even though I know I will quickly miss the slower pace. I look forward to the crisp weather, the smells of cinnamon and burning wood, the fuller, richer tastes of more substantial food. I crave the organization and order the season demands in my household. This year, however, I am simply not ready for Fall!

Now curiously, I appear more ready. The school supplies are all purchased and ready to go. The calendar is quickly filling up with color-coded entries for each adult and child in our house. Enrollment forms for various sports and classes have been completed. I am taking stock of my cupboards and fridge and getting ready to fill it with breakfast standards, school lunch selections and quick dinner options. I am pulling dinner recipes that can be made ahead, slow-cooked, put together extremely quickly, or prepared by a teenage babysitter.

All those outward trappings hide the fact that I am not mentally ready for Fall.

I have not spent enough time at the pool, I have had far too few evenings trying to beat the heat sitting out on my front porch, I haven't eaten enough grilled food or salad. I know it will remain warm well into September and possibly even October. I know I can grill year-round if I like and a salad is always a better choice than some of the junk I eat.

But the atmosphere will be different. We will be on a schedule. We will have places to be, homework to do, bedtimes to make a priority. That is what I am truly not ready for - the high gear that Fall demands. Working for a university, we are already in high gear at work. I am barely meeting the energy and enthusiasm demands there. At home the pace is still slow, lazy and, most importantly, FLEXIBLE. Those days are numbered. I think we are down to 6.

So, this Labor Day weekend I will endeavor to gear myself up mentally for the onslought of Fall. I will organize my house, my calendar, my kids. I will marshall the energy required to keep all the balls in the air. I will stockpile enthusiasm to share when one or another of the kids or my husband gets overwhelmed or starts to drag.

I think maybe the term "super mom" was coined in the Fall.