September is a Monday
With all the tracking, organizing, perfecting a craft, and general seizing of the day… September is such a Monday.
You may not have thought about this before, but if you take a second- it's hard to argue with the fact that… September is a Monday!
At the risk of offending some Virgos (and maybe Libras towards the end there): would Virgos even be offended by this? With all the tracking, organizing, perfecting a craft, and general seizing of the day… September is such a Monday.
The month starts off with Labor Day (always on a Monday, of course… ehemm) and it symbolizes the end of summer, the end of vacation, the end of time off, and the beginning of a new (school) year for most. Even if you’re in a phase of life where school starts in August, or live in a state where that’s the norm, the start of the school year is generally reserved for September.
The shift from laid back, low pressure, barbeque and beach weekends to following a rigid and structured schedule- for everyone in the family- can be more than just a little disorienting. At first it might not be easy to recognize because it happens so suddenly; it's a swift change. But within days of the new routines you notice that you are more tired than you have ever been. If you do sports and have been off all summer, there’s a natural slump that you need to overcome since you’ve been out of practice all season.
As the days go on, you realize that they are getting colder, and they’re also getting shorter. There is a longing for the days of the past, and although they happened not very long ago- they feel so far away now. That longing is grief of what was and the things that you didn’t get to do for the last two months like you swore you would.
There can be grief in realizing that something is over even when you had a good time. We don’t always think of grief as something that belongs to everyday transitions, yet it can show up whenever we have to let go of something- something we loved, something we expected, or even something we thought we still had more time for.
But grief makes room for rebirth.
New beginnings are more commonly associated with January, but September can hold a version of that as well- a lighter new beginning. Where January asks us to reinvent ourselves, September reminds us to start moving again.
The second half of the year technically started months prior, but somehow it’s September who makes us feel that it’s the beginning of the end.
While some are holding on to the last warmer days for dear life, others start embracing the cooler temperatures and crisp air in the mornings before starting their commute. And then you realize this means that it’s pumpkin spice season again. The Fall equinox towards the end of the month finalizes the transition.
Maybe that’s why September is such a Monday. That uncomfortable space in between something that has ended and something that is beginning- where we exist trying to find our balance while we move from one side to the other, unsure of how we feel about it.
So if you’re feeling a bit more tired than usual, a little in the slumps, or nostalgic for something but you can’t really figure out what– don’t beat yourself up about it. While some people are happily recounting their summer adventures, others are still struggling to remember what day it is. None of these approaches are wrong.
It’s just September.
And September is a Monday.
What did Green Day say?
wake me up… when September ends…
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