Day 2 of Gratitude - November

I've never thought much of November. It's kind of a nothing month, trapped between the foliage of October and the snow and winter of December. Sure, November has Thanksgiving but I've always seen Thanksgiving as the gateway to the rest of the December holidays rather than a holiday of its own.

With my class schedule, I have a more flexible day. If I'm not at class, I'm either studying at home, studying at the local library, doing quick errands or in transit, usually on the bus, to one of these places. While I was working full-time I was usually trapped inside a building for the better part of the day. Most of my jobs have been in the basement of the building so I only saw the outside world at lunch. With my new schedule I'm outside more during the day so notice the changes in nature more. I can see the difference between September and October and November. Subtle changes, like how the leaves turn and then fall and then the branches are bare. The air smells differently from month to month too.

Today was a beautiful day. Low 50s, clear blue sky, breezy but not windy. The sun sets here in November around 4:30 (or before?) so when I went for my afternoon walk study break at 3pm it already felt like it was getting dark. And now, just two hours later it's pitch black outside.

My walk was wonderful. Energizing and head clearing. Breathing in the fall air in New England is nothing like breathing in the fall air in SoCal. Most of my neighbors have been raking so the sidewalks were nice and clear. Yes, the trees were bare but they didn't feel dead or empty. I said hello to a very overweight cat sitting on a neighbor's steps and walked by the local high school's field where the football team was practicing. It was the kind of day where everything felt right, like all of nature was in accord.

November.