10 mini projects to help me stay present during autumn

notes on how i’m appreciating the darker months this year so i don’t get too sad

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appreciating beauty and the joys of living is effortless during spring and summer. everything is bathed in a golden light, every colour outside of my window looks like it was just adorned with a fresh coat of paint, flickers of bees and other insects make everything look like a painting come to life and i am always eager to go outside and make my own mark on the canvas.

but autumn and winter are challenging. it is not a painting but a photograph lacking saturation and hue. there are no brushstrokes or wondering why an artist chose a certain colour, only what life had to offer in that moment of capture. it is still beautiful, but in a different way, something that takes a little more time to appreciate, i’ve found.

i no longer have an eight-hour distraction from my everyday life right now as i wait to begin a new job. this means i am acutely aware of the changes going on beyond my window frames and i can already sense the slumber that awaits deep within me. at this time of year, i feel as though i am a wild animal whose body yearns for hibernation, for extreme slowing down, for a few extra calories here and there and lots of rest.

by eight in the evening, my eyelids feel as though they are carrying the weight of the world and gravity suddenly feels like something tangible, something i can almost see guiding me into a lying down position. the calls from my bedroom are louder, i can do nothing else in this state and my days begin to feel shorter than they already are.

which is why mornings and rituals and appreciating beauty become even more important at this time of year. i want to stay present and take note of all things that capture my attention during these months or my eyes might as well be closed for half of the year.

so, here are the things i’m concentrating on this autumn to keep my eyes open, my heart full and my mind occupied: