I thought I'd ask a question in this blog post because I find it interesting to learn what peoples' favorite seasons are and why. My favorite season happens to be fall. No, not because pumpkin spice everything makes an appearance -- I actually don't like pumpkin spice -- but because everything feels somehow sharper, fresher, as if there's an energy as nature prepares for winter. Fall is filled with so many characteristics that I love: The sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet as I walk outside, the crisp air that doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind about whether to be cold or warm, the birds as they frantically seem to migrate south. Winters are cold here in Minnesota and it's almost as if everything around me, the trees, the birds, even the people are united in a common desire to get ready for whatever's coming.

As I sit outside composing this blog post, I can feel, somewhere deep within me, that fall is fast approaching. It's not a chill in the air -- it's actually a balmy 72 degrees (f), 22 (C). I hear the crickets and other insects around me chirping, not a fast chirp as they do when the temperature starts to drop, but a louder chirp, as if they're asking each other, "are you ready yet?" There's a gentle breeze blowing, very gentle, but strong enough to stir the very first leaves that have begun falling from the trees in my yard. As I sense the fast approach of fall, I am filled both with excitement and sadness. Excitement because there are so many aspects of fall that I love, but sadness because it means that summer is slowly coming to an end. I think I feel it especially this year since this has been a summer of connection, connection with people and with a slowly normalizing world and I don't want those things to end.

So, what is your favorite season? What about it makes it your favorite?