A new season, a new start

As I sit at my desk watching the rain pouring outside, I realize that summer is truly over.  I love summer.  I love the sunshine, and having lots of flowers on my deck, and the hummingbirds that keep me busy refilling the feeders once a day.  I love the fresh fruits and vegetables and grilling dinner and sitting outside in the evening with my husband and some friends and a good glass of red wine.   But while I am sad that summer has ended, I also love the changing of the seasons.  It reminds me that there is always another fresh start, another new day, another chance to have an impact or do something differently.  I can be sad that I must cover up the deck furniture, that the flowers have faded, that most of the hummingbirds have headed south.  Or I can decide what I'm going to accomplish during the last quarter of the year.  I can look forward to the fun holidays coming up, to my favorite stews, soups, and casseroles, and sitting inside by the fire in the evening with my husband and some friends and a good glass of red wine.  (Some things don't change!)  I can think about what was great this past summer, and start planning things I want to do next year.  Wouldn't it be silly to spend my time mourning the loss of summer, and lose out on the great things fall has to offer?

How often do we miss out on what's happening right now, because in our heads, we are still in what happened yesterday?  What will you do with this new season?  How will you move forward?  What kind of a fresh start can you make this fall?