Change

This time of year used to be my favorite. I loved going back to school, I loved the colors, I loved bundling up against the cold and finally not having to worry about sunburns. I loved chilly evenings inside by the fireplace, or just sitting on the couch watching TV. I loved walking home from school, doing my homework wrapped up in a blanket by an open window. I don't love this time of year anymore. I'm not sure when it happened, or how. Now, the chill just feels hostile. Rather than feeling like an arrival after a long slog through the brutal summer heat, this season is now a harbinger of the coming winter. Just thinking of it makes me want to move South. Thinking of darkness at 4:30pm makes me want to move back West. I never used to like summer. Now I can't stand to see it go.