Why Fall Is My Favorite Season and the Things I Love Most About It

There is always one morning when I walk outside and notice it.

The air feels different.

It isn't freezing.

I don't need a heavy coat.

But that thick summer heat is finally gone, and for the first time in months I can walk outside without immediately questioning why I bothered doing my hair.

But the older I get, the more I realize there may be another reason I love fall so much.

Life feels a little slower to me during this time of year.

Maybe it isn't actually moving slower.

My responsibilities certainly didn't get a fall vacation.

But I feel different.

I notice more.

I stay home a little more comfortably.

I don't feel like every nice day has to become an event.

And lately I've been wondering if that's really what I've loved about fall all along. 

Here are the things I LOVE about Fall:

1. Finally Opening the Windows Again

There is something ridiculously satisfying about opening the windows after they've been closed for most of the summer.

I love hearing what is going on outside again.

Cars passing.

Leaves moving.

Someone mowing a lawn somewhere in the distance.

That cool air moving through the house feels completely different from air conditioning.

I don't need anything fancy happening.

I can be cleaning the kitchen, folding clothes or sitting on the couch, and somehow an open window makes the whole house feel better.

Maybe part of what I love is that it makes me pay attention to where I am.

I spend so much of the year moving from one thing to another that I don't always notice the little things around me.

Fall makes them harder for me to miss. 

2. Walking to the Car Without Immediately Sweating

I can't talk about my love of fall without acknowledging one very important thing.

I am tired of being hot.

There is nothing charming about walking from the house to the car and already needing the air conditioner on full blast before I've even backed out of the driveway.

By the end of summer, I am over it.

So when I walk outside and the temperature is somewhere in that beautiful middle ground where it isn't too hot and isn't too cold, I appreciate every second of it.

I can wear actual clothes again without regretting my decisions fifteen minutes later.

I can run errands without feeling like the parking lot is personally attacking me.

It's a small thing.

But some of the best parts of life really are. 

3. Driving Down Roads Lined with Fall Colors

I have taken the longer way home just because the trees looked pretty.

There.

I said it.

Fall can make an ordinary drive feel completely different.

The reds, oranges, yellows and deep browns make streets I've driven hundreds of times look new again.

I think that's one of the things I like most about this season.

Nothing necessarily changed about the road.

I noticed it differently.

There's something in that I keep thinking about.

Sometimes we spend so much time looking for a completely different life that we forget how much can change when we finally have enough room to notice the life we're already living.

I don't mean pretending everything is wonderful when it isn't.

I've lived through seasons where pretty leaves wouldn't have changed a thing about what I was carrying.

But I also know what it feels like to start noticing little things again after life has felt heavy.

A beautiful drive.

A cool morning.

A quiet evening.

Sometimes noticing those things is enough for that day.

4. Earlier Sunsets and Slower Evenings

I know earlier sunsets aren't everyone's favorite part of fall.

I understand that.

But there is something about the evenings getting darker earlier that makes me want to come home and stay there.

Summer evenings can make me feel like I should still be doing something because the sun is out until nearly bedtime.

Fall doesn't give me that same feeling.

The lights come on earlier.

Dinner feels a little cozier.

The couch starts looking better.

And I don't feel nearly as guilty about doing absolutely nothing productive for a while.

Maybe that's part of what I love.

Permission.

Not permission from anyone else.

Permission from myself.

I don't always have to squeeze something productive out of every hour.

Sometimes an evening can just be an evening.

5. Sweater Weather and Oversized Cardigans

The first sweater or cardigan of the season feels like seeing an old friend.

And apparently every year I forget how many cardigans and sweaters I already own because I will still stand in a store holding another one thinking, This one is different.

It usually isn't.

But I'm probably still going to buy it.

There is something comforting about fall clothes.

They're soft.

They're forgiving.

They are comfortable.

They don't require me to spend twenty minutes figuring out whether I feel comfortable showing my arms, my legs, butt or anything else I don't feel like thinking about that day.

Give me an oversized cardigan, jeans and a comfortable shirt and I am ready.

No complicated outfit required. 

6. Boots Coming Back Out

I love boots.

Ankle boots.

Tall boots.

Flat boots.

Boots that probably look suspiciously similar to another pair already sitting in my closet.

There is something about putting boots on that immediately makes an outfit feel finished.

A basic sweater and jeans suddenly looks intentional.

Fall fashion is one of my favorite kinds of fashion because I can look put together without working too hard at it.

At this point in my life, I appreciate clothes that cooperate with me.

I have enough things requiring effort.

My outfit doesn't need to be one of them. 

7. Layering Clothes Again

Fall is probably the only season where getting dressed feels like having options instead of having a problem to solve.

A shirt.

A cardigan.

A jacket if I need it.

Take something off if the afternoon warms up.

Put it back on when the temperature drops.

Done.

I also love the colors this time of year.

Burgundy.

Chocolate brown.

Olive.

Rust.

Cream.

Plum.

Deep green.

Colors that somehow make everything look a little richer and warmer.

Maybe that's part of why fall clothes feel so good to me.

They feel comfortable without feeling sloppy.

I can be cozy, feel like myself and still look good.

8. Crockpots Coming Back Into Rotation

Fall is when my crockpot starts earning its spot in the kitchen again.

There is something about cooler weather that makes me want food that has been cooking all day.

Chili.

Soups.

Pot roast.

Chicken and gravy.

Anything that makes the house smell good before I even sit down to eat.

I love being able to put everything in the crockpot earlier in the day and know dinner is basically handled.

Especially on days when I am tired, busy, or just don't feel like standing in the kitchen for an hour.

And honestly, there is something very fall about walking into the house and smelling dinner already cooking.

It makes home feel warmer.

It makes the evening feel easier.

It makes the atmosphere cozier.

It also saves me from that five o'clock moment when I open the refrigerator, stare inside, and suddenly realize I have absolutely no plan.

During fall, I want meals that feel comforting without turning dinner into a whole production.

That is probably why I love my crockpot so much this time of year.

It lets me have the kind of warm, cozy meal I want while doing most of the work for me.

And I am completely fine with letting an appliance take some credit. 

9. Fuzzy Socks

Nothing dramatic happens when I put on fuzzy socks.

My problems are the same.

The laundry is still there.

Bills don't disappear.

Nobody suddenly arrives to take over my responsibilities.

I'm just wearing fuzzy socks.

And somehow I feel happier about the situation.

That may sound silly, but I think we underestimate how much these tiny comforts matter.

Especially when we've spent long stretches of life handling serious things.

Everything we enjoy doesn't need some deeper purpose.

Sometimes I want warm, comfy feet.

That is the entire story. 

10. Anything Pumpkin Spiced

And now we have arrived at one of my favorite parts.

Pumpkin spice.

I know people make fun of it.

I don't care.

Give me pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin candles, pumpkin coffee cream, pumpkin pancakes and whatever other pumpkin flavored or scented thing somebody has decided needs to exist this time of year.

I will try.

And apparently I have plenty of company.

Pumpkin spice is still one of the most recognizable flavors of fall.

I read consumer data found that about 52 percent of American adults have tried it and liked it, and seasonal pumpkin spice product launches have continued growing.

What I found even more interesting is why that familiar smell and taste can feel so much like fall.

Pumpkin spice is usually a mix of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice.

After years of smelling and tasting the same cozy flavors around this time of year, we start connecting them with fall itself.

It has become tied to cooler weather, holiday traditions, family gatherings, and those little seasonal routines we look forward to every year.

That makes perfect sense to me.

Because sometimes that first pumpkin flavored something doesn't just taste good.

It feels like fall has arrived.

Maybe It Isn't Only Fall That I Love

Somewhere between the open windows, boots, fuzzy socks and pumpkin spice, I realized something.

Maybe I don't only love fall.

Maybe I love how I live during fall.

I slow down a little.

I notice the trees.

I enjoy being home.

I cook warmer food.

I wear clothes that make me comfortable.

I take ordinary things seriously enough to enjoy them.

I stop acting like a good day needs to contain something impressive.

I don't really feel the same during the other seasons.

And I just never really thought of it like that before.

I've spent enough of my life thinking the good part was somewhere ahead.

After I fixed something.

After something changed.

After I got through whatever was happening at the time.

Life has taught me that waiting for everything to finally settle down before allowing myself to enjoy anything can turn into a very long wait.

Real life keeps happening.

It doesn't stop for us to catch up.

There will always be something.

Maybe that's why these little fall things mean more to me now.

They remind me that enjoyment can exist right in the middle of ordinary life.

I can have something weighing on my mind and still enjoy the cool air coming through the window.

I can have an uncertain future and still admire the trees on the drive home.

I can be figuring things out and still buy the ridiculous pumpkin spice candle.

Both things can exist at once.

And maybe that is enough of a reason for me to love this season as much as I do.

For a little while, fall makes the ordinary parts of my life feel good again, and I am perfectly happy letting that be enough.

#EvolvingWomanhood

Healing Workbooks: Visit for Support