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Labor day: over. Beach weekends, BBQs, weekend trips to the country: donezo. Summer is at an end. If you’re a student, you are full of trepidation and excitement, busy putting the finishing touches on your dorm room decorating strategy and Facebooking your new roommate to coordinate towel colors.
For the rest of us, autumn is not particularly meaningful. Fewer weekends away, until the fall wedding season gets in gear and Thanksgiving rolls around. No more summer Fridays for the lucky few who actually have them. But really, aside from the cooling temperature and darkening evenings, there’s little to distinguish our day to day lives in September from our day to day lives in, say, April.
This could be a distressing thought that prompts existential questioning and a reevaluation of our life choices (the lesser known but still traumatic 30% life crisis). We may be responsible adults with daily exercise routines and utility bills, but we can still party, right? Right?? There’s no reason to let fourth graders and freshmen have all the fun! Here are a few tips to help make fall feel like a fresh start.
Back to school shopping. Tis the season for plaid (unless you live in Brooklyn, where every day is a plaid day). And boots! And coats and jackets and scarves. Dye your hair a ravishing brunette for fall. Try a smoky eye. Trapper Keepers are a distant memory, but Moleskine journals and Muji pens are always in fashion. Sit in a coffeeshop in your new cashmere sweater and journal.
Make a reading list. Do you normally read only nonfiction? Try some fiction! If you think reading is a dull solitary pursuit, join a book club and discuss over drinks. Die-hard fiction readers: try alternating a novel with a biography or book of essays. Join Goodreads for great recommendations, tracking your reads and the fun of cataloging and organizing your literary history.
Take a class. Yes, this sounds close to actual school. But take a totally impractical class that has no immediate or obvious benefit. Are you a hedge fund analyst? Try an art history class. Medical professional? How about a creative writing workshop? Musician? Learn to code! Whatever our profession, we could all use a few more Italian phrases, so stop by your local Learning Annex and sign up for language lessons. Of course, it goes without saying: now’s the time to work on your cooking skills.
Get up early. This does not sound particularly fun. But remember in high school, when you woke up before 6 every day and accomplished a million things? Try spending a little less time with your snooze alarm and a little more time getting things done. Maybe a yoga class or an early run. Plus, it’ll help stave off the seasonal blues: winter is coming.
Courtesy of One Giant Robot
Cheer on your favorite team. If you’re a sports fan, you’re already there. There=on your couch, beer cozie in hand, pita chips on the coffee table, iPad showing one game, HD TV showing another. If you’re a casual fan, enjoy the camaraderie that following a team has to offer. Pick a team and find a bar that supports it, then camp out on weekend afternoons. You might feel like a bit of a poseur at first, but think how impressed your coworkers will be with your watercooler conversation on Monday!
Take a weekend getaway. Summer isn’t the only time to go on long weekends. October is the prettiest month literally everywhere, so get out in some nature and Instagram some sights. Take your fandom to a football game, go apple picking or hike through some fall foliage.
There! Don’t you feel all fresh and ready for a new start?
