Sweet September. No matter what else is going on, what stress I’m facing or what mental health issues I might be battling, there’s something about September. Even when I don’t want summer to go, when September arrives it’s like I fall in love with it all over again. Maybe it’s the air, the cool crispness of it. Maybe it’s the leaves turning amber and making the whole world smell sweet and musty. Maybe it’s the lingering feeling of that back-to-school excitement. I honestly don’t know, but especially in New England, September brings a special kind of magic.
I wish I could talk about what I’ve been writing, but it’s too close, too fragile, too sweet. Too alive, still. I need to wait for it to ripen.
I wish I could listen to the album The Huntress and Holder of Hands is releasing next week. Ever since Ireland, I’ve been obsessed with their song “Borealis” (you can listen here) and I know their album is going to be the soundtrack to my fall.
I wish I could fragment my days into shards, increase their surface area so I could fit more inside. I want to read and write and love and finally finish Until Dawn.
I wish I had the energy to make everything in my life look beautiful, instead of just a smattering of curated images.
But while wishing is not necessarily a bad thing (especially at this time of year, when it feels as though we’re moving into the season when fairy tales take place), it’s also important to recognize those goals we have already achieved.
For the first time in a long while, I’m reading again. Last week I read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, which was a non-stop delight. For the first time possibly ever, I’m writing every single day. I’m keeping my spaces clean and tidy. I’m nurturing my relationships. I’m thinking about ways that I can better manage my life. Things are good for me right now. I hope they are for you as well.
Chelsea D.G. Bartlett 