aware

This morning when I woke up, I was slightly chilly. I sleep with the windows open, now that I can stand the cicadas and noise of traffic I hear falling asleep (the firehouse chatter somehow doesn't wake me), and I have to say that this morning feels more like fall than any of the reasons I've already said 'it's fall!' in the past week.

The thing is, I've never been aware of seasons before. I grew up in Texas, and truth-to-God, our only seasons are 'unbearably hot' and 'less hot'. I have memories of wearing shorts throughout our 'winter'. And then I spent a year in Indonesia, which is has tropical, equatorial climate and doesn't have four seasons, either. Which can certainly be nice. Then I moved to DC, and, well, I guess I'm slow on the uptake. Because I remember being absolutely awed by snow, my first real snow, sitting in Philosophy class, and seeing those magic little flakes fall from the sky and cover the world while I watched out the window. And to be taken surprise by true 'winter,' must mean that I missed fall the first time around. And the second.

But this fall, I am aware of the change of the seasons. Almost like my 'first snow' that first year, this fall feels like a first. I am shocked how quickly we moved from mild summer to chilly-nighted fall, and I have to also say that it wasn't until this summer that I was even really able to express my love for summer nights in DC. I am becoming aware of the change of the seasons, and at 25, it seems like just a shame that I wasn't able to understand before now. My friend E likes to say that I frequently dress myself 'seasonally-inappropriately'-- and in my own defense I believe it is because I did not understand what seasons were. When you can basically wear the same clothes year-round in Texas and Indonesia, it doesn't at first make sense to have a 'hot' and 'cold' wardrobe. But now I begin to understand.

I like that this dawn of understanding is holding hands with my learning about where my food comes from. I so appreciate being able to identify what foods are in season, but I just hate that it also comes with the knowledge that those foods that are not in season, which are still being sold from our produce stores have been genetically altered to withstand out-of-season temperatures and conditions, or were shipped in from hella-far away, which means that the price we pay for food (not just as individual consumers) is more expensive than any of us can afford. Practically none of which would return back to the farmers. Listen to me, I sound so earthy-crunchy-hippie. But responsibility is a beast, and once you know, you just know, right?

Anyway, I think that's enough waxing on about Fall. It's time to go enjoy it, starting with a trip to the farmer's market to pick up my weekly produce straight from my farmer. I hope you're enjoying fall as much as I know I will today!