It’s time to say hello to September, isn’t it.
I have been avoiding this. Surprise!
Mostly because September means the chagim: all the complicated Jewish holidays and the New Year. The cheshbon nefesh (literally: soul accounting) that goes along with that.
And I haven’t wanted to turn inward. I haven’t wanted to reflect.
I know, I know. I like reflecting. But this past year has been full of so much hard for me.
And then this morning I thought of something incredibly reassuring.
A reassuring thing (for me!) about September.
It occurred to me all of a sudden that hey wait what if this year of hard is almost over.
A symbolic crossing of a symbolic bridge.
Which could happen anywhere, of course, but look: a convenient and beautiful new year that is already where I begin counting the months and moons.
Recently I learned that my playmate counts the days of the year, which I love. (So, for example, today is Day 250. Hello, Day 250!)
But why would I start counting in January? What if my Year of Grief And Sorrow (and yes, it is a year, not ten months and not fourteen, I just know this to be true) is about to end come September?
I have decided that this is the case. It is its own sweet form of Amnesty.
This is the month where I transition out of the passage of all the things that are lost and passage into the place of filling up again.
That’s what it’s here for, and that’s what I’m here for. This is what I came to this morning.
Filling up.
I woke up on September 1st and I said — out loud: “It is time to fill up again.”
I had no idea what it meant.
Replenishing. This is a good and desired thing, yes. But where did it come from?
Then the next day I flipped the page on the Playground calendar, and it turns out that this is the month of Filling Up.
I chose that for this month over a year ago, and it stuck.
This is the month for filling up. For filling back up. For undoing depletion. For harmonizing. For saying yes to provision. For filling all the wells and drinking from all the wells and being all the wells. For delighting in the idea of plenty.
This is the month of FILLING UP.
It is decided. 🙂
What do I want to fill up on, September?
Oh September!
I want to fill up on you, sweet month of transition and change.
I want to fill up on all the lovely smells.
I want to fill up on trust and support, on wonder and delight.
Agility and flexibility, safety and protection, love and more love.
Containment and spaciousness, grounding and buoyancy.
Freedom. Effervescence. Strength. Fortitude. Reassurance. Lightness. Beauty. Marveling. Creative play.
All the possibilities and all the openings, just like in shiva nata.
My September wishes:
Graceful navigation of all circumstances.
Presence. Less reactive and more curious.
Ease.
Agile mind. Agile body.
Let me see beautiful things everywhere and be a source of beautiful things.
Things I’m looking forward to in September:
- Layers! Wearing them.
- Garden walks.
- Tashlich.
- Rally!
- Discovering perfect simple solutions and laughing about how I didn’t see them before.
- Entry for the Crossing.
- Seeing Bryan.
- Miracles.
- Stompopolis!!!!
- Playing with my playmate and delighting in play.
- Rethinking what I want for the coming year: adjusting and moving with it.
What I want for September and for me-in-September….
Be a turning point.
Be a bend in the river.
Be the river.
Be full of clews. More and better!
Flow and passion and welcoming.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
Saying: I AM HERE NOW.
Being here now.
Play with me?
This practice is so different from month to month. I go with whatever comes. And this is what showed up this time (insert wry smile here).
For other variations, peek at: last July / August / September / October / November / December / January / February / March / April / May. A love letter to June. This year’s July and this year’s August.
You are welcome to write your own hello letter to September, if you like.
Or you can leave little pebbles for my love letter. Or drop off some gwishes for the month.
As always, we make this a safe space by not telling each other what to do, how to be or how to feel. We make room for each other.
Wishing you the most just-right September possible. May it be full of unexpectedly good things. And love. All the love.
Follow
Pebbles for you. And heartfelt sighs and wishes for good things.
September, hello. I would like to explore new places please. Rest and glory and naughtiness and connection.
And leaves and baking and inspiration and poetry.
Balance. Ease. Centering.
Kisses.
It’s funny – I had a similar epiphany today, re-wording, re-thinking. I was going through the shops looking at winter jackets (there was this red one!) and I thought to myself: It’s the beginning of the school year! I’ve always loved the beginning of the school year, the anticipation of it, the shopping and getting ready for it.
So from today on this is how I’m going to think about September – the month that the new school year begins.
I want September to be a month of inspiration and follow-through. Laying groundwork – booking gigs, practicing repertoire, putting words on the page, making candles, soaps, and jewelry – for progress and success through the coming semester and, ideally, the coming year.
Here’s hoping!
TTFN,
Miz S.
What I want for September:
Routine. Good and comfortable and productive routine. Maybe my period of tumbleweed is over.
Ease. Ease of finances is arriving. Ease of body, ease of self. Ease of breath. I found a little sore spot in meditation yesterday and breathed all the way through my chest and that was nice.
Gentleness. No picking arguments, freezing up when feelings are hurt, and building walls. Safe conversations, happiness.
romance. Let’s go to subway and repeat our first date for our anniversary. Yes, that counts as romantic. Can we bring cupons?
Hello, September. This evening, I sink wearily beside your running stream, with my empty cup in my hands. I see pebbles for my pockets, and cool running water to fill my cup.
When I turned the new page on my calendar, I decided that my September would be the Moon of Mystery. I’m not sure why. I guess that’s part of the mystery.
=o=
-0-0-0-0-0-
Hello:
Supportive routine
New fun break times
Containers
No invasive species
Magical editorial help and results
Financial choice and freedom
Honey it’s Bill and Ben
In September, I want to fill up on….
– Courage
– Creativity
– Gratitude
– Love
– Patience
– My ability to see the forest
Hello September.
You look like you might be a month of transition for me, somewhere between burrowing and unfurling. I’m peeking my head out. I’m contemplating going above ground again.
Things I will be sipping gratefully like warm cider:
-Ease
-More ease
-Sleep
-Presence
-Sustainability
-Curiosity gently
-Even more ease!
Oh, September. I love you so much. I’m so very glad to be with you!
You are the beginning. The opening, which I wrote on my calendar long ago on the 10th of you. I see you as the dawn of my favorite third of the year. (I know that there’s quarters, but in my brain, it’s thirds.) It’s like I just crested the top of the roler coaster, and from now until the end of December or so is the really fun part where I’m zipping down endlessly, going “Whee!”. Of course, it isn’t a perfect time. It’s just the best time. My favorite time of the year.
And the interesting thing about you is that this time you snuck up on me. I kind of woke up one day at the very end of August, and I caught your smell on the wind. And I remembered that you were coming. That actually, you would be here any day now. It’s like I woke up the day before Christmas, but not with any panic issues. Everything is ready, and all I have to do is walk in and enjoy you.
Things that I love about you/that I’m looking forward to:
-September, you made me fall in love with you all over again when you brought me a job. Yay job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Your amazingly deep blue blue skies
-The feel and smell and sound of the wind
-New beginnings
-Honeymoon vibes
-Birthdays of some awesome people
-So far, most people I know have been happy this month
-Series 7 of Doctor Who!!!!!
-And some other shows will start up at some point too
-Politics, conventions, debates, really not just this month but until November…I know this isn’t something everyone likes, but I enjoy it 🙂
-Leaves changing
-Late afternoon golden sunshine
-Beginning to think about holidays, pumpkin spice lattes, and my birthday
Things I want to work on this month:
-Focus, both at home and at my new job.
-Making more money, and managing it very well
-Remembering to give the car gas before I try to drive anywhere (metaphor)
-Trying on the Costume of the Me Who Is Responsible Without It Being A Big Deal
-Working on songs with my new band!
-My (fake) classes: Intermidiate/Advanced Authenticity, Shoestring Budgeting, Third-Semester Intuition, and an intensive Boundary-Building class which takes place on the bus and includes a 2.5 hour lab in Sanity-Enhancing Timekiling.
-I deserve and need some fun, damnit!
*Leaving room for mysterious little presents that this month will give me*
I don’t know if this guy is as big on the other side of the Ocean as he is in the lower lands of Belgium and the Netherlands but the gwishes reminded me of this,
Triggerfinger’s remake of Lykke Li’s I follow rivers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzWQV5OiQQQ
and in concert at the summer festival called low lands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ekPZjvpBaI
Be the ocean
You’re my river running high, run deep run wild
🙂