Today was the Autumnal Equinox, and appropriately enough, a beautiful day - up until my train was pulling into the city, at which point it suddenly became cloudy and grey. (Maybe it’s that balance thing, I guess….)

It feels like Fall has suddenly hit, just this week. I’ve seen leaves that are actually starting to turn, and not just get brown and shrivel up from drought. And there have been several days lately with that perfect combination of clear, blue sky and cool temperature that is one of my favorite things about autumn.

I tend to get really happy in the Fall. You could see that today too.

What am I harvesting? Today I went out to lunch with some coworkers, and sitting on the restaurant patio eating nachos I realized that I felt at ease… that I felt comfortable being myself… that I was actually having a good time. And I think that’s a big thing that I’m harvesting: I’m starting to become comfortable in my new environment. People from work are starting to feel like friends, and I’m starting to get involved in the community outside of work as well. I’ve actually felt pretty comfortable and at home in my physical environment, in my apartment and in this new City of mine, for a long time now, but I’m sure that my love will only deepen as I get to know Philadelphia through all of the seasons.

Another thing I’m harvesting is a renewed creativity and discipline in writing. I feel like my work in this area has really paid off, and I’m well on my way to developing a consistent writing practice. Perhaps it’s not as consistent as I would like, in the way that I usually think of consistency, of having a specific target or goal that I reach; but perhaps it’s becoming consistent in a deeper way, in that I keep on doing it even though I don’t have a goal or a schedule or an allotted time. I think it’s becoming a habit now, writing and editing and working on stories, a little every week; just like reading is a habit for me.

My personal life is still shaking itself out. (It always seems to be shaking itself out. Sometimes I think it’ll never be done.) Perhaps by the next harvest things will be a little more settled… and then again, maybe not. Either way, I’m generally okay with it, really.

Oh, and my roommate decided yesterday to quit his job. So I guess that’s some kind of harvest too.