“We write to taste life twice. Once in the moment, and once in retrospection.”

That is a quote I want to remember.

And uphold. I'm kind of proud of myself for keeping up with my blog all year, with only a few lapses sometime around winter. Definitely better than last year, where all thoughts on life stopped abruptly in June. I forget in the moment how much I love going back and reading things that happened to me years before. Seriously, I can't even try organizing all my journals and memory boxes without devoting quite a number of hours to just sitting on the floor, pouring through old notebooks and albums.

In case you are wondering what a memory box looks like:

I just so happen to have this picture from my picture taking spree on Sunday. You can see the specially bought 2005 camp journal (courtesy of Justin #2), the light saber given to me by the support staff the dayI turned 21 (we can't drink at camp, obviously... so we play with Star Wars props), my Coast Guard cap (ah, the orange team), Mickey Mouse ears from the day we accidentally went on the exact 50th anniversary celebration day, and gads of other stuff to keep me entertained with my own life. Voila. Memory box.

So here's something I've been thinking about lately: I love September. Who knew, right? Certainly not me. I wave my summer flag proudly, and curse that blasted anti-daylight savings day that plunges my 4:30pm into utter darkness.

However. I have noticed when I leave work at 5pm each day, as the cool breeze ruffles my skirt and the sunshine warms my toes, there's just this feeling to it that makes me soooo happy. I've found that I associate feelings and smells with childhood experiences, and I knew right away I was feeling those just-let-out-of-school-and-hanging-out-on-the-playground kind of moments. Apparently, these were some happy times for me, probably because I love school, and I really loved spending time with my friends afterward, being so absolutely lazy and just sitting on the picnic tables or going down to the swings. Even in high school that's how it was.

So kudos to you, September. You've made me love you in ways I never would have thought of a fall month.