So Long, Summer.

There’s something magical about that moment when summer starts to loosen its grip. The air shifts. The sunlight softens. Suddenly, you’re torn between savoring the last outdoor barbecues and craving the cool breeze running through your bones. I sometimes forget how much I love Autumn. Each year it moves too fast—zipping through the calendar at a speed I don’t notice until I blink and suddenly silver bells are ringing. Autumn is my heart. It’s cozy. It’s bliss. Even so, when the summer heat is beating down on my face and beads of pool water slide off my skin, I can’t help but wonder if part of me will miss summer when it’s gone.

August heat—how do I describe thee? My cotton t-shirt sticks to my back, sweat slides along my hairline, and I’m bouncing between sweating and shivering. Always teetering on the edge of mild discomfort. This year, I finally found a cure for chub rub. Small victories, right? I'll take it, because I cannot handle another summer of raw inner thighs, slick with that unique Virginia humidity that clings to everything.

In just a few weeks, we’ll get the sweet beginnings of Autumn. Crisp leaves will start to fall onto the browned blades of grass, and my lined boots will crunch along the sidewalk as I walk with my mother. The world will quiet to a soft hush, and we’ll remember to look up at the sky instead of ducking into the nearest building for air conditioning. The sun will grow shy, the nights will stretch longer, and the air will carry that woodsy, smoky scent that only belongs to fall. Even the bugs that have pestered us all summer will retreat to their homes. A fallen log. A hole in the ground. A home is a home.

Autumn is when people seem to remember kindness again. The holidays are around the corner—oh yeah, I have something to be thankful for. The air may be brisker, but hearts are warmer. The world is beautiful again.

As I bask in some of the last sunny days of the year, I admit—summer has its moments. But Autumn reminds me who I am. So no, I won’t miss summer.