It is the season of fire.

It is the season of smoke.

It is the season of fog.

It is the season to find even numbers while out on a run.

It is the season of October, which should be the fifth season.

Sunburns you can’t feel coming. Succulents brought indoors.

Nutmeg dust on the wind.

Bell sleeves and roasted squash.

Reaching to the back of the closet for something velvet.

Pearls again; it’s finally cool enough. The crack of dawn tardier by the day.

I say again. It should be Winter, Spring, Summer, October, and Autumn. And if there is nothing new under the sun then perhaps it was once this way and someone was overzealous with his or her edits. If October was not also the season of campaign fatigue I might become zealous with restoration efforts. Reinstate the Fifth Season! But October is an invitation to lower the pressure.

It reminds me of my running friend who liked to circle back to her car to brush her hair when the miles got difficult. She called it a low-tech reset. She’d brush and breathe. I’d watch and wonder. Then we’d scamper off to finish the distance, she lighter and brighter, me amused and bemused.

A wellness suggestion for all of us; let October be a season of reset. Low tech. Low pressure. Think less of making it and more of letting it.

— Mercy