As the seasons change, it can be a great time to think about the changes you want in your life and how to go about them. Entering fall is always one of my absolute favorite times of the year. I’m enjoying it a lot more since our move out east because not only is it more in line with what my calendar tells me than it ever was in the Rocky Mountains, but it lasts a lot longer, too. My reasons for loving this season so much are not just related to the sounds, sights, and smells, though they are among my all-time favorite things, but the mood of fall; fall feels like a time to reflect. This year I have been reflecting on what I really want for myself in the next chapter of my life, even what might be coming that is beyond my control, and doing what I can to set myself up for success.

My first round of preparation is a selfish and vain one, and that is to work a bit on how I present myself to the world. I used to live in a place that was the epitome of casual, displayed most in the way that people dressed. While not everyone I knew was part of this casual culture, I welcomed it with open arms. I never looked unpresentable, I believe, but I certainly embraced the comfort culture when it came to my clothing. Out here, life is a little more polished. The day to day wear of the people I see and interact with is a bit of a better game, and I’m starting to feel out of place. No one has faulted me for it, and no one would, but I realize that if I want to be taken seriously for jobs with these people I see around my community, I should start dressing a bit more professionally in my daily life. I’m not saying I will be wearing a pantsuit to clean my house, but I won’t be wearing ripped cut-offs to pick up Daughter, either. I guess they say “dress for the job you want, not the one you have.” I need to start dressing like a success and not like a student, however much I might want to dress like one. At least I get to shop.

My second round of preparation is one that is both old and new. Our sweet Dog the Older is not always doing so well. We are in the stage of good days and bad days, and we are trying to decide what our signs are going to be to know when it is time to let her move on from us. We’ve thought we were in this position before, and the old girl rallied for us, so who knows if this is actually the beginning of the end or not. Still, my mind needs to prepare for this monumental change. I really have no idea how. So, I am doing what I can to make my decisions easier when I have to make them. I’m educating myself and making mental notes. I’m talking about the possibility to Husband and occasionally mention to Daughter that we don’t know how much longer we have. She is, after all, a 15-year-old dog, and we’ve been lucky to share most of her life with her.

Change. It can be enjoyable and liberating. It can be devastating. I’m just going to do my best to make it all work.