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I can’t pinpoint when my love for fall started. For a long time, I dreaded the season; it meant nothing more than school starting back up and the end of summer. Summers were always my favorite, until I started to realize the promise in fall.

There’s something really special about beginnings. Beginning a new career, starting a new hobby, going on a first date . . . all things that are exciting in their own way. I now look at autumn as a beginning and I think that’s why it always excites me when the leaves start to change, the crisp morning air fills my lungs and, yes, even when pumpkin spice flavors make their way back onto coffee menus.

Autumn is a time of change and reflection, a season that carries us from the highs of the warm summer months to the cooler-toned days, filled with holidays that draw us back to where it all began.

This change that accompanies fall can lead us to many beginnings.

My thoughts on fall started to change once I realized that a new school year meant new classes to dive into, new friends to make and the beginning of a fresh start to the academic year ahead.

As I grew older, I realized that the season breathes life into activities that lie dormant for the rest of year. What better time to carve a pumpkin, go apple-picking and experience a hay ride than fall?

For the first time all year, we see life in a different color: a vibrant red-orange hue that hugs the trees, lines store shelves and greets us at every local farmer’s market.

The onset of fall means the return of gifting season, allowing us the opportunity to find new treasures that will make our friends’ faces light up. Warm fuzzy blankets are the trend once again, along with warm spiced ciders and new cheesy Hallmark movies that we can watch with our loved ones.

With more time inside, autumn creates a need to find new things to do. Homemade meals seem to make their way to kitchen tables more often. Fall is the perfect time for DIY projects, home repairs and diving into that book you were dying to read all summer.

Although there are opportunities that end with the last warm summer day, fall brings its own kind of warmth.

Instead of looking at autumn as the start of a cold, dark season, I started to see fall as the warmth that I feel every time I spend holidays with loved ones. I started to see it as what it feels like when that first sip of steaming hot coffee warms you from the inside out on a chilly day. A warmth that radiates through our being, begging to stay.

For a long time, I felt like fall meant everything was coming to an end. Now I see this season we have entered as a great time to start something new. A fresh start to the months ahead. And, perhaps, a new beginning.

Danielle Puleo is a staff writer for The Coastland Times. Reach her at danielle.puleo@thecoastlandtimes.com.

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