Autumn’s Essence of Lovely Change

September has always been a month that means new beginnings. It is the month school begins, routines change, and different activities begin. The time the colors begin to change, and evenings start to have a crisp air. Autumn’s change has a vibrant essence. Especially as the weather and leaves turn beautiful colors, it reminds me that I, too, can change the things I wish and become a more lovely color. To begin with, start turning more into yourself, your activities, and your home, feeling a change to reflect on the essence of these ideas:

• “Seeds” planted that have grown, ripened, and are now abundant in my life
• Crisp Air calls us to explore Fall’s harvest and celebrations.
• Heading back indoors, is my home welcoming? 

Note – First, the autumn season unfolds through three months. September starts the change in the air with abundant harvest activities. Then October develops into the beginning of magical merriment. Lastly, November lets us take moments to give thanks for our life in all of its aspects.

Let’s explore Autumn’s essence in the change of season.

Reflecting on the essence of autumn

Start this change of season with a moment to reflect, specifically a check-in with its essence:

• Am I feeling and seeing the abundance in my life?
• Do I see the everyday magic and colorful splendor around me?
• Have I given thanks for what I have in my life?

Do not tackle these questions all at once; just one question a month. Doing this allows more time to sit with the question and feel into it. How do I do this? I write the question as a banner on a page in my journal (I call this my Curated Life Journal – an exploration into my life). Then, as the month unfolds, I write down inspiration, thoughts, and activities on the question. Additionally, shared downloads with these journal prompts are in seasonal eBooks; a few are in our Facebook group.

Autumn’s Change of Activities

When dreaming and reflecting, consider how to enjoy the season’s essence. In particular, what activity means Autumn to you that you need to explore and enjoy it? Often, we rush through a day promising ourselves that “I will get outside this weekend. I’ll enjoy the leaves Saturday afternoon.” When these thoughts begin, pause and change your thinking to enjoying the essence of autumn:

• What could I do that would only take a few minutes?
• How could I add an hour or evening of magic during this week?
• Where could I go this season that only occurs in the fall?
• Is there a way to show the people I care about what they mean to me? Especially how grateful I am that they are in my life.

These questions may start a brain dump of activity ideas. Again, I use a banner title in my journal to capture them as they appear. Afterward, I circle the ones that excite me and one or two that make me nervous. You know, the idea that makes butterflies in your stomach. That idea is one to explore. Also, my blog on monthly Loving the Ordinary lists is a place to start if you’re overwhelmed by this brain-dumped idea. Or go to the blogs on our website to check out the monthly list; here is a link to September’s 30 Ways for Loving the Ordinary List. I’d like you to please find the essence of the activity, the first step toward it. Then, could you plan time for a couple of your circled activities?

The Essence of Our Homes

As we sit into Autumn’s essence in our thoughts and activities, let us bring it into our homes. We’re coming back inside from our beautiful outdoor spaces and gardens. Are the inside areas just as welcoming? The entries and hall need to change with the season for new sports and outerwear. We’ll hang out in our living and family rooms as the air turns chillier. The dining room gathers us to enjoy meals, games, and community. Additionally, these areas must embody our essence, our flair for life. A few questions to ask ourselves:

• Do I see the abundance in our lives through displaying our talents, adventures, and interests?
• Is there an essence of magic and whimsy? 
• Am I thankful for what I have in this room? Not in the ‘I have a couch, I hate this thing, but I have a place to sit’ way. But in the ‘I love the people in the photos on the wall, we have great adventures’ kind of way. 

These rooms all have functions, but they are so much more. We focus on these rooms as we change our living habits from outside to inside. Make the changes to one room a month by bringing in abundance, magic, and gratitude. We do this through organizing, showcasing interests and talents, and curating the space’s items. There are three ways we can help if you need more direction on curating these spaces. Firstly, you can join our Facebook group. Next, if you’d like a room-of-the-month-focused Checklist, you can find it in our monthly eBook. Lastly, if you’d like to join our design group course, we have a Zoom chat discussion on how to achieve this, plus another Q&A session to help with anything that pops up, along with videos and one-on-one consultations.

Lovely Changes  Bring in Autumn’s Essence

Bringing in the essence of autumn does require moments of reflection and dreaming. Afterward, it requires exploring and planning how to bring these elements into our lives and homes. Lastly, we curate these into our lives. We allow items and thoughts into our lives. We also remove those that are not abundant, magical, or grateful. As we change from summertime to fall, we can also bring a change of color and beauty into our lives and homes. If you’d like to be in community and receive weekly newsletters to help you curate your fall and like, you can sign up here.