november

and the ushering in of quiet contemplation

November has always been one of my favorite months of the year, with December a strong second. Ever since I was a child, there has always been something about this month that spoke to me. I appreciate the browning of the leaves and the breeze that ruffles my hair. I love the promise of Thanksgiving, which we celebrate here stateside, enjoying the company of loved ones and feeling grateful for good food and good conversation.

But for all of the good things that come with my favorite month, there is a murmur of something else, something that calls for a pause but not yet a full stop.

November ushers in the beginnings of quiet contemplation.

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No, the year isn't quite over yet, and yes, we have an entire holiday season to get through before we sing "Auld Lang Syne' and toast to new year blessings, but that niggling, that inkling, it starts to burrow in one's mind, and an examination of the previous months starts to take hold.

November brings in true changes in season and in feeling. We begin to embody the word "cozy" and start to make a permanent indentation on our sofas. We have a favorite tea mug and a favorite blanket and have the lamp angled just so, so there is light, but not too much of it.

Now is not the time for goal setting and vision boards and pro/con lists. It is not the time to plan out the next 365 days, no it is too soon for all that. Notebooks and pens and journals are at the ready, but it is still too soon.

Instead, November is a time to quietly meditate. One can reflect to be sure, but it's just to let the thoughts pass through one's mind and wish them on their way. We are not ready for serious deliberation, inward introspection, or relentless scrutiny. The thought train passes through the station, and we wave our handkerchiefs, and bid farewell. We'll see you on the next go-round.

We do love you but it's too soon for ruminations.

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November calls for quiet solitude and copious amounts of tea by a fireside. The musings, the questioning, the harboring, that will come later. But for now, events that happened this year that necessitate pondering, well, we'll just ponder those another time.

For November calls, it calls us to her, and we go with open arms. We embrace this last full month of autumn and know that her seasonal days are numbered. Right now, we hold November close, like mother and child, and breathe in the aroma of this woodsy eleventh month. We go into these shorter days ready and willing for all that November gives us.

Soon, oh so soon, the recriminations will start, the reverie will begin.

But not today.

Because today, I will celebrate all that is beautiful about November.