These dead leaves are tricking me

Leaving for work in the morning, the first thing that hits my senses is this light, crisp breeze across my skin and sight of dead leaves scattered all around my complex ground. I don't like the mind games it's playing with me. I understand that it's early August, but the morning environment is making me think that Fall is upon us when it's not. It's giving me false hopes and I don't like it!

I love Fall. Too me, the start of true Fall is more of a New Year celebration to me than January 1st will ever be. I can definitely say it has everything to do with the beginning of the school being in Fall, though these days it's more like mid-Summer. This notion really made me think this morning. What if school started at the beginning of Spring? Or Winter even? Would my love of Fall still ring the same way?

I like to think I would. I love the deeper tone colors commonly used in fashion to coordinate with darker leaf colors around us. I love how the weather is always perfect; the sun warm and the breeze cool. I love the longer nights and shorter daylight hours. And, most of all, I love how Fall seems to prepare us for the onslaught of holidays about to punch us in the face.

We start the holiday season with Halloween, dance casually with Thanksgiving, dive head first into Christmas the day after, party the end of the Christmas season with New Year's Eve events, and struggle to hold onto those glorious months with Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter. We spend the next several months hiding and running from the excessive Summer heat and wait until that cool, crisp Autumn air comes back around for us again.

God, I miss Fall so much.