Taking Back October

Fall has always been my favorite season. Some people don’t like fall because it means winter is next. To that I say, you can’t blame fall for what follows it; besides, I kind of like winter too.

I also love fall photos, specifically fall outdoor photos.

Fall outdoor photos remind me of how fleeting the spectacular beauty of fall really is. They remind me we can miss that beauty entirely if we don’t stop to revel in it a bit.

I have always loved October. How can you not love the blue skies, cooler temps and breathtaking color displays that October offers?

October is my favorite month of the entire year, perhaps because even my own backyard is miraculously transformed by Mother Nature’s fall “performance.” Her magical change of seasons and colors  takes place right before my very eyes and all I have to do is pause and take notice of it. I’m trying to do just that. I’m trying to seperate October from “pink.”

Some breast cancer bloggers profess to dread or even hate the month of October, but what they really dread or hate isn’t the October part it’s the Breast Cancer Awareness Month designation part. I get that. Sometimes all the pink, all the ribbons, all the emotion, all the debate and all the rest of the stuff that rises to the surface in October does become more than a bit over-whelming, more than a bit tiring and more than a bit annoying.

Before my cancer diagnosis, I didn’t pay all that much attention to the fact that October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One year my neighbor’s yard had bras of various colors and sizes strung up across it, I guess because her sister had breast cancer. That was hard not to miss. Other than that, I noticed the various awareness campaigns, of course, but in a sort of mindless way.

Well, that has certainly changed.

During October, the breast cancer blogosphere is, of course, more a-buzz than usual. Bloggers are busy sharing their opinions, ideas and yes, their rants. It’s a month of passionate dialogue and opinion sharing. Some bloggers set lofty goals like posting every single day. Others pick this month to bring out their most opinionated posts and offer profound words of wisdom while delivering bold statements and challenges. Still others share more poignant reflective thoughts and experiences. And finally, a few remain somber and quiet simply waiting for the month to pass. 

The purpose of this post has nothing to do with any of that. This post is really about my attempt at “taking back October,” taking back my favorite month of the year. I don’t want to give it up.

This past weekend hubby, the dogs and I loaded up in the car and set out on a drive. We didn’t have any particular destination in mind. We headed north toward Lake Superior like we usually do when in doubt about where to go. Luckily for us it’s not that far to the big lake. Whenever I see it, I immediately know why it bears the name Superior. It is just that, superior.

While on the drive, I thought about last fall and last October.

Last fall I was still in chemo. We took drives every other weekend when I was on my “good week” of the chemo cycle. My hair was falling out left and right, but in my stubbornness I was still refusing to shave it off. On those trips last fall it felt wonderful to plop a cap on my head and just get out of town. It was almost as if hubby and I were “on the run,” feeling a bit like a couple of “cancer fugitives.”

One year later, I’m thankful to not be in chemo. One year later, I’m still plopping that cap on my head mostly for vanity reasons, but that’s a different post. One year later, it still feels good to get out of town and leave it all behind, even if only for a day.

Mostly, one year later, it still feels good to marvel at the spectacular beauty of a fall day in October and for those moments not think about breast cancer even once.

It feels good to “take back October.”

What is your favorite season or month?

How do you revel in fall’s beauty?

How do you “take back” October (or any time)?