Fall Feels

                 

 Happy Fall!  The days are getting shorter, regular TV shows are starting back up, and pumpkin spice has hit the coffee shops.  This is my absolute favorite season!  I feel both invigorated and also peaceful when I start to feel the cool, brisk air in the mornings, watch the Aspen leaves turning yellow, smell the fresh-roasted green chile at the Farmer's Market, and taste the spicy and hearty flavors of the season. 

 Fall is a restorative season, a time to cultivate well-being and gain strength.  Earlier this month I went to a candlelight evening yoga class.  I was hoping for a more intense workout and deeper poses in a heated room, and was somewhat disappointed by the slower pace and static holds, but afterwards I came to terms with the benefits of slowing down and embraced the opportunity for calming and centering; after all, fall is all about maintaining internal balance in the midst of movement and change. 

 Fall also a time to embrace change and celebrate the start of new things.  My job has been infused with changes this month as my office moved to a new location, my organization adopted a new electronic medical record, major projects and initiatives have come to fruition, and renovation continues in various units of the hospital.  I think we show our true colors when faced with adversity and change, and I have felt inspired and supported by my amazing team during this challenging month.  As a special treat, the spiritual care department offered free 10-minute massages for employees yesterday, which was a much-welcomed moment of relaxation in the midst of a busy week.

 This weekend I'm putting up my fall decor, baking Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake from two of my favorite baking blogs, and heading up the mountain to see the colorful leaves!  Other goals in the next month are to start running more frequently again, finish a crochet project I started this summer, take Ady to the pumpkin patch, attend the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, plant bulbs in my garden before the first freeze, and use our bonfire pit in the backyard.  

 Fall is also such a beautiful time to curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book!  Here are some of the books on my list this season:
My Absolute Darling, by Gabriel Tallent
Beautiful Exiles, by Meg Waite Clayton
Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart, by Joyce Carol Oates
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Leopard at the Door, by Jennifer McVeigh
The Angel's Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
When Katie Met Cassidy, by Camille Perri
Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
November Road, by Louis Berney

  

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