If I could create another holiday on the calendar, I probably would pick the Autumn Equinox. Not being absolutely sure what the word "equinox" means, I looked it up. The approximate scientific explanation is that it is a point at which the sun shines most directly over the equator, making night and day almost equal in length.
A simpler way for me to say it is "the first day of autumn." It's the official beginning of the season when the days become shorter than the nights, and the weather becomes a little cooler (in the northern hemisphere anyway). It is the best time of the year as far as I'm concerned.
Here's what I wrote in this blog on October 21, 2010:
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." (George Eliot)
Autumn is my favorite season, and October is my favorite month. Not just because it's my birthday month, but because the air is cooler and crisper, and the colorful leaves seem to demand my attention. I don't know if it's the football season or upcoming holiday festivities, but there is a sense of anticipation unlike any other time of year.
While growing up, Autumn always meant the beginning of a new school year, with new classes and new clothes and months of possibility stretching ahead of me. As an adult, Autumn still feels like a beginning to me, with my October 8 birthday marking the start of another year on this planet, another chance in this life to see what I can make of it.
This year, the Washington Post says, "the autumnal equinox occurs Friday at 5:04 a.m. (EDT), signaling the official start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere." I believe that is 2:04 a.m. (PDT) - only minutes away.
Ah, the anticipation of delicious autumn!
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