Well, the end of summer has officially come. While I’m going to miss all the unforgettable summer nights and days without the stress of school, I’m certainly not going to miss the sticky hot weather and the endless mosquito bites. I, like many others, love fall and everything about it. While I’m not typically one to caption my Instagram photos “sweater weather” and order pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, fall is one of my favorite seasons, probably because it is in between my two least favorite seasons. I like summer, but I hate heat. I like winter, but I hate coldness. Fall and spring are perfect because they fall right in between. I think that’s why most people tend to like fall- its a perfect balance. As humans, we don’t tend to dislike things that are particularly harsh. We like to keep things balanced and in between.

However, as much as I like fall, the transition from summer to fall can be more than a little awkward. For example, how can girls know when to break out their Ugg boots and “goodbye summer” fall selfies? Probably the worst thing about this transition is that it is always cold in the mornings, so students bundle up for the bus stop, but by the time school ends it is 70 degrees outside. This weather dilemma can be particularly stressful for WJ students who enjoy open lunch. In late October, hopefully the moody Maryland weather will decide to calm down and pick one temperature to settle on for the whole day. However, October tends to be a very confusing month in terms of weather. Halloween tends to be either way too cold for simple costumes or way too warm for elaborate costumes. Last year it was raining, which was extremely frustrating and kind of a downer. Given the state of Maryland’s weather mood swings, I wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed one year.

Fall is also a good time to speculate on winter. Fall hasn’t even technically started yet, and everyone is already talking about how much snow we’re going to get this winter. When we’re in the middle of one season, it seems like all we think about is the next one. This also tells us a lot about human ways- we can’t just be happy with the season we’re in. We’re always thinking about the next one, about what’s going to happen next instead of being okay in the now. So this fall, let’s try to appreciate it. Summer is over, but the memories will last through the fall.