Falling Into Autumn

9/6/2012

It's still summer! Just because Labor Day has come and gone, and the kids are back in school, that doesn't mean the summer is over.

Each September, I protest this unofficial end to summer by filling the kiddie pool for the kids to splash around in after a long day of school, and I try to schedule in one last family boating excursion. But the boat collects dust as the weekends are filled with football games and visits to the apple orchard (not too bad, I admit), and the kiddie pool no longer holds any attraction for my children. My attempts at sustaining the air of summer become frustrating.

This year, I am trying something new. I have decided to embrace fall (even though it's still summer!). Minnesota falls are beautiful, after all. They're nothing to be afraid of (although the MN winter lurking close behind is terrifying!)

How will I embrace fall? By planning that trip to the apple orchard in advance instead at the last minute when the weather is suddenly too cold to take the boat on the water, and buying football tickets for the Gopher game of our choice.

I also need to set goals with deadlines in order to accomplish anything. So it is my goal to have my proposal for my manuscript polished to the best of my ability by the end of September. I have found a publisher seeking manuscripts that fit the description of my novel to a T! I am praying for patience to carefully and thoroughly prepare my proposal. Someone wise once said that an aspiring author has a 100% chance of having a well-written novel published. That is, if the writer has followed a publishers requests 100% and has the exact manuscript that the publisher is seeking at that time. Perhaps 100% may be an exaggeration, but the odds are in my favor...

What are your goals for fall?

Love,

Stacy

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

8 Comments

Mariann

9/6/2012 02:06:24 am

A friend just posted this right after your fb posting - and the two seem eerily connected (although I'm sure it won't take 121 rejections before your book is published)...

September 6, 1928, Robert M. Pirsig was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1974, after his book proposal was rejected 121 times, Pirsig came out with "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," a bestselling philosophical--and heavily autobiographical--novel that ultimately sold more than five million copies. Ostensibly a book about motorcycle maintenance, the book was in reality a metaphor for living, as nicely reflected in Pirsig's observation:
"To live only for some future goal is shallow.
It's the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.
Here's where things grow."

Mary Jo Gulbranson

9/6/2012 08:10:34 am

It is so much fun to read your blog again! Even though I'm your mother, I feel I get to know you much better through your writing than talking with you. You remind me of my Grandpa Moen. He was a man of few words but we knew he had many thoughts in his head and his heart. He had a deep love for the Lord and he loved his family deeply.

Mary Jo Gulbranson

9/6/2012 08:16:09 am

With Grpa Moen, "still waters run deep" is a phrase that applied to him. I believe he thought in Norwegian and could express himself better in that language. I, too, need to be more organized in order to make better use of my time. I'm going to start with meal planning and "zone" cleaning my house.

Jason

9/6/2012 09:43:19 am

I want to embrace fall this year also. There are still several weeks of great weather to be outside. Besides, if winter does come early it will be an opportunity to try out the cross country skis.

Ingrid

9/6/2012 02:06:58 pm

My goal this fall is to give birth to my first baby! I'm sure I am one of the only people in Minnesota who has been wishing summer away, but only for the simple fact I want to meet my daughter!!!

Kristen

9/10/2012 04:30:35 am

I'd rather hang on to summer too, but I will try to follow your example of embracing fall! I guess that will be my goal.

I do appreciate the structure and order that come with fall and sticking to a regular routine. I love the blazing colors of the changing leaves, the aroma of apple crisp baking, the crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds, and the coziness of a warm home on a cool fall evening. :)

Laura

9/14/2012 10:09:27 pm

I have not been looking forward to this fall because my first baby is now in school full time. :(

Every morning he gets on the bus it seems my heart goes with him and does not return until he returns. My goal will be to view this as a positive for him as he loves school and seems ready and excited to embrace this new independence. I need to remember that our goal as parents is to prepare them to one day leave us and I am so thankful to have the assurance that God has him in his hand. So I too will try to embrace fall, just don't ask me to embrace the Minnesota winter. :)

Chloe

9/16/2012 06:38:24 am

My goal for the fall is to get on a better sleep schedule. During the day I'm tired and at night I'm wide awake. I have times set but I never actually listen to them.

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

Falling Into Autumn

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Proverbs 3:5-6

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