If you weren’t aware, there’s a medical term for when people get depressed when the seasons change. It’s called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and it’s a recognized medical condition. I get a touch of it in the middle of winter. I’m not a fan of the bitter cold. Toss in those gray, rainy days on top of it, and I can end up in a funk. 
But most of the time I’m happy with the seasons. Each one has its particular nuances and charms. The blooms of spring, the warm sun and blue skies (and warm temperatures) of summer, the colors of fall, and the starkness of winter. Each one has a way of inspiring my creativity.
What I find interesting, however, is that there isn’t a medical term (at least, not that I could find) for when you get excited by the change of seasons. That’s where I feel it the most in my head and in my heart. The seasons themselves are fine, but that transitory period, when we shift from one time of year to another, always gets me excited.
Right now, we’re seeing the shift from summer to fall here in North Florida. Unfortunately, fall doesn’t last long around here. The joke is that it sticks around for about a week, just long enough for the oaks to attack the human population with acorns, then cover everything in a thick layer of leaves.
Still, I can feel the change in the air, the cooler days, the chilly evenings. The squirrels are burying said acorns all around my backyard (and in my potted plants), and my dogs are spending more time sunning themselves on the back patio.
At the same time, some of the plants in my yard are beginning their transitions, as well. About one-third of the yard is beginning to yellow and fade to brown, the leaves drooping. There isn’t any new growth coming up, and what is up is preparing for the coming cold.
I don’t know what it is about this transition that stirs my imagination. Maybe it’s hormonal. Maybe it’s genetic. Maybe it’s just me, an odd trait I picked up over the years. Regardless, I feel more driven at the moment. I want to create, to write, to draw, and I’ve even started looking into the basics of painting. I’ve never painted before (other than rooms in my house and some paint-by-numbers when I was young). I think it’s time I gave it a shot.
I wonder if I’m the only one who feels this change of seasons, who gets excited by it, who wants to embrace it and see where it takes me.
I hope you feel inspired by this transition, that it fills you with magic and ideas.
RB