Fall is the best season of all the seasons

Fall replaced summer as my favorite season right around the time I went to college. Summers were hot, boring, and filled with days painting fences at the local high school. Autumns were cool, exciting, and filled with days learning cool shit and hanging out with friends. I don't work as a groundskeeper anymore, and there aren't any month-long reunions planned, but fall is still the best season.

Because fall is when school starts, fall is a great time to really hunker down and get things done. Just because you're not in school is no reason to let that classical conditioning lapse. Fall is a time for change, a time to get things started. You've got 6 months of long nights ahead of you, and no excuses that the weather is too nice to be productive.

Now, finally, we get to eat fall food. Some people say that 6 months of nothing but apples in the produce section is boring. Those people are communists. What's that, summer? Hamburgers? Boom, beef stew. Watermelon? Hot chocolate. What you got? Margaritas? Double IPAs. Chicken wings? Bitch, football Sundays INVENTED chicken wings. Get out of here.

And it's the return of robe and sweatshirt weather. There's something to be said for going shirtless in the summer, but there are not many things better than wrapping up on the couch in a robe, or taking a walk through some crunchy leaves with a lady who holds your hand inside your hoodie pocket.

As I mentioned earlier, we also get football season. Even though the Bears are schizophrenic, football season is still the best single sporting event of the year. Sorry, Olympics. Sorry, March Madness. Sorry, Lord Stanley. Y'ain't got nothin' on the highs and lows, the drama and the rivalries of the 20 weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

But maybe the best part of fall is how it lends itself to the appreciation of now. Fall is a fleeting season. On one end it gets crowded by Indian summers, and on the other it gets crowded by Thanksgiving snowfalls. The leaves stay colorful on the trees for a week, maybe two. If you aren't paying attention to fall, you may miss it. It's a subtle season, and the more you are aware of your self and your surroundings, the more you'll enjoy it. So take the time. Sleep with the window open even if it's a little cold. Take a walk in a forest preserve, and don't worry about the trails. Have some coffee on the porch when you can see the steam coming off the cup. Read with a blanket.

Fall is here, and the weeks roll onward...