The Creep of Fall September 10, 2009 – Posted in: Aberrant Normalcy

I feel it every year and from what I understand most other people feel it too.  The strange change of body and mind the comes over you when the seasons change, when the leaves start to drop from the trees.  I believe it comes from sixteen or more years of school, the mad rush to the department stores and school supply stores, and the hope that this year, with new friends, new teachers, will be much better than the last.  That routine created a pattern on my mind.  But I think there also is a genetic component.  My cat, for example, has been nothing but a sleepy lump this entire summer, but now she is active and eating voraciously.  I wonder if she is preparing herself for the winter, fattening herself up for the cold months when mice are hard to come by.  Of course, she is eating cat food, not mice, but her body warns her regardless.  Is this same mechanism happening in me?  Is my body trying to prepare myself for winter?  Am I coerced into working hard now and feeling excited about it based on some ancient genetic script written into my genes?  All I know is that whenever I smell the cool air with the hints of fall, a feeling comes over me that seems, well, old.