that day

Yesterday was “that day.”

“that day” is what I call (in my head) the day that I first notice the change in the quality of the light around me. This change marks the onset of Autumn, and it is one of my favorite days of the year. When I first notice it, I gasp and say, “It’s that day!”

For one whole day I am keenly aware of every detail in my surroundings. I think it must have something to do with the tilt of the Earth’s axis, and the sun’s rays beginning to hit at an angle, versus their more direct hit in the warmer months, but whatever the case, it happens to me every year, and I love it.

The first thing that I usually notice, is the way that objects seem to be thrown into sharper relief, there is a stronger contrast to all of the shadows and highlights around me. Colors seem brighter, the air seems clearer, the sky seems higher and the blue is bluer. The air is more crystalline; things sparkle.

“that day” is usually accompanied by slightly cooler temps, which does much to encourage my willingness to spend most of the day out of doors without worrying about the kids getting overheated. To celebrate “that day”, I took the kids for a walk downtown. We love to go downtown, it is our family’s favorite place to be and we go several times a week.

We enjoyed the cool breezes, the water fountain, the view of the river, and the sounds that were all around.

And lastly, I know it’s “that day” by the way the light comes in my back windows. It makes my rings on the widowsill above the sink glitter while I wash the dishes; it will grace the couch like this all winter.