“Let’s fall in love” Frank Sinatra

We might have been meant for each other

To be or not to be, let our hearts discover

I have a feelin’, it’s a feelin’ I’m concealin’, I don’t know why

It’s just a mental, incidental, sentimental, alibi

But I adore you, so strong for you

Why go on stallin’, I’m fallin’, love is callin’, why be shy? (1-6)

Feel the autumn vibe

Let’s fall in love

Why shouldn’t we fall in love?

Our hearts are made of it

Let’s take a chance, why be afraid of it? (7-10)

Let’s face it, Autumn is here. At the beginning of October, the new season has officially begun here, in Italy. I cannot say it came unnoticed because I remember it clearly when it happened. I was calmly indulging in dolce far niente in Giardini Margherita in Bologna with a delicious cup of coffee in one hand and my journal in the other one when I felt a chill… like a shiver running up my spine… and for some reason, I thought, “Something is about to happen.” But I chose to ignore this weird feeling and I continued to relax blithely in the sun enjoying a delightful cup of my creamy cappuccino. One second later a strong gust of wind from nowhere started to blow down already colorful leaves and I could see some people chasing their summer hats blowing away in the wind… Suddenly, it all went a very quiet and everyone knew that the 2018 summer season went down in history.

The atmosphere has changed in the blink of an eye. The new season took everyone by surprise without a warning. We’ve been given literally no time to prepare for the new reality… In one moment people in the park were soaking up the sun and a second later the sky became clouded and the temperature dropped by 10-degree Celcius. It was almost as if you found yourself in a completely different world… Like some kind of displacement, but without any temporal markers. A very strange feeling. I was suddenly overcome by nostalgia and I just couldn’t help it. Honestly, I was hoping to squeeze every last drop out of this summer but Mother Nature has changed my plans… Nothing left to do but adjust to the new weather reality. Maybe there is nothing to worry about… I can still go for a walk along the beach even if it’s windy and a bit chilly… I just need a cozy warm sweater and another cup of creamy cappuccino…

Embrace the Autumn vibes

Let’s close our eyes

And make our own paradise

Little we know of it

Still, we can try to make a go of it (11-14)

I’m not going to lie. I’ve never really liked the autumn season except when I was a small kid and playing with colorful leaves or making chestnuts creature was quite fun. So I guess, I’ve got some happy memories for this time of the year. So maybe there is nothing to complain about. But other than that I didn’t find anything enjoyable in the autumn months. Just think about this. The end of summer means the end of holidays and the return to the normal, sometimes incredibly boring daily activities… Not so funny at all… But does it really have to be this way? Is there any possibility to accept the end of the summer and not getting depressed and feeling overly nostalgic with the autumnal equinox? I’m going to find out…  

I am sitting now in my favorite caffè (because where could I be…) in the center of Bologna and I am trying to understand why I’ve never really enjoyed the autumn season. And you know what? Actually, I think I know why. As silly as it seems, I’ve never really given myself a chance to fall in love with fall… And instead of embracing this magical autumn atmosphere I’ve always tried desperately to capture fleeting summer vibe… without success… as you can imagine…  So what I’ve been doing every year to deny the arrival of autumn? Well, instead of getting out my cozy warm sweaters and a comfy wool scarf from my wardrobe, I continued to run around the city wearing Converse and T-shirt… then I kept getting a cold…every single time… I wonder why?

Besides, you probably know what happens when someone chooses to deny the reality instead of changing their attitude and accepting the facts. Well, it’s quite simple, we fail. It happens because it’s almost certainly a wrong mindset. Unless you can give me a one proven example of achieving your goals by denying the reality…

“A curious child” mindset

But for me personally, it’s just always a really bad idea. So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to challenge myself this year and find a way to mindfully embrace Autumn. Thus, I adopted a “curious child” mindset, the one that will definitely help me to find beauty in this season. So,  I took my camera, my journal and I went out on the town. But instead of walking the same streets I already know by heart I’ve chosen an unknown path. And what I’ve discovered blew my mind. Some of the places I’ve been to I’ve seen for the first time in my life! I’m not even joking. How weird is that?

I don’t know about you but I tend to walk the same streets all the time like there as if it was a “binding itinerary”, the one and only appropriate path… And you know what? I’ve discovered some hidden incredibly beautiful places next to my house by accident. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever discovered secret places in the city you thought you knew by heart? Have you ever been lost in your own city? This is probably one of the best reasons to become a tourist in your own city for one day to discover incredibly beautiful hidden places…

Let’s fall in love with fall

Now, we might have been meant for each other

To be or not to be, let our hearts discover (15-16)

At some point, it started raining… and the warm and vibrant autumn colors became even more shining and fluorescent. The shapes and forms of the scenery seemed more pronounced… And I got this strange feeling that I could smell the rain… and hear the sound of the leaves beneath my feet as I was trying to find my way home.

When I finally managed to get to my apartment I made myself a cup of cinnamon tea, just for a change and I started to list of things that actually make me slowly fall in love with fall…

Embracing the autumn season

1. Discovering new coffee shops and places with delicious hot chocolate!
2. Creating new autumn warm-up recipes especially cinnamon apple muffins and pumpkin pie!
3. Boosting my creativity inspired by an Autumn season (Autumn is incredibly inspiring and magical season!)
4. Embracing my inner child and feel the autumn vibes (Yes, I’m making chestnuts creatures right now…)
5. Finding some time for watching my favorite autumn movies (“Autumn in New York”)
6. Spending more time with my friends watching Netflix and drinking hot cinnamon chocolate…
7. Creating more space for spiritual life (Let the Autumn vibes nourish your soul…)
8. Adjusting my daily routine for the new season (I’m writing about simple mindful autumn self-care rituals here )
9. Preparing for the family holidays. (Yes, I am one of those people who start thinking about Christmas in October)
10. Trying some home decor fall ideas (just another excuse to go to Ikea!)

Let’s fall in love

Why shouldn’t we fall in love?

Now is the time for it, while we are young

Let’s fall in love

Let’s fall in love

Let’s fall in love (17-22)

And you know what? It started to look differently at the autumn season. It’s not anymore a rainy, gloomy and freezing prelude to a pale winter but a magical time of the year. I think I am slowly falling in love with Fall! I cannot say that it was a love from the first sight but maybe it will last forever… who knows… I guess I am about to discover that!

Let’s fall in love with the fall…  

Take care

Stay positive

be mindful

and embrace the autumn vibe!

xx Kate