September seasonal living means embracing the changes. Finding comfort in the rhythm of the seasons.

September is when everything begins to soften.

The air gets a little cooler. The light turns golden. The colors around us begin shifting toward browns, rusts and blushes. September seasonal living is about noticing these small shifts and allowing them to become part of our days.

Our clothing begins to provide comfort and cover. Light cardigans move to the front of the closet. Soft textures feel good on our skin.

Living seasonally means noticing those changes. Feeling them, not just doing them. It means eating what’s in season. Embracing the things that are specific to this time of year. Apple picking, grilling corn, watching football. 

It doesn’t require a long list of things to accomplish before the month is over. You don’t need to redecorate your house or completely change your routines on September 1st.

Just notice what’s happening around you. Let what’s natural become part of your season. Eat what’s good right now. Bring back the rituals you’ve missed. Let fall arrive slowly. 

You Might Notice

• The cooler air in the mornings and evenings.
• The way the light begins to soften and shorten.
• The colors around us slowly moving from the brights of summer toward gold, brown, rust and burgundy.
• Scents changing from floral and fresh to spiced and earthy.
• The produce begins its transition from summer fruits toward fall vegetables.
• Fashion softening, too. Sleeves. Denim. Knits. Layers. Clothes that feel a little more comforting.

You Could Taste

September gives us this wonderful little overlap between seasons. I’m not ready to rush past the last of summer’s grilled corn just because the calendar says fall is coming. This is the time to really taste it because soon it will be gone. At the same time, I’m ready for crisp apples, Brussels sprouts, kale and squash. And the kitchen itself starts to change now that it’s not too hot to use your oven. Roasted chickens come back. Soup sounds good again. So does a pan of cornbread. September lets us have a little bit of both.

Maybe You

• Take up a fall hobby like dipping candles, pressing the last of the summer flowers or baking.
• Change out pillow covers to fall colors and pull out the heavier blankets.
• Summer’s white flowers give way to yellows, burgundy, rust and blush.
• You might sort through the Halloween decorations and slowly start placing them around your home. 

It Would Be Fun To

• Watch football.
• Have an outdoor fire when the evening gets cool enough.
• Bake a loaf of bread.
• Pull the summer garden, leaving only the herbs behind for a little longer.
• Light all the candles on the now dark mornings and journal before your day gets going.
• Bring back the long, hot evening bath that didn’t sound nearly as appealing in July.

Perhaps You Savor The

• Cotton candy pink September sunsets.
• The first leaves beginning to change.
• The last really sweet summer corn.
• The first morning or evening that feels genuinely cool.
• Sleeves.
• An open window.
• A breeze with a light chill. 
• The first time you pull out your light cardigan sweater. 

You Could Ask Yourself

How would you like September to feel? Write down a few ways you could make that happen. Just a few small choices that might help your days feel the way you’d like them to feel. Then set about savoring September exactly how you want.

September is a transition month. Allow yourself to quietly let go of summer while noticing all that fall is slowly ushering in. That’s what living seasonally truly is. Paying attention to the rhythms of nature and allowing our lives to move with them.