There is a bite in the evening and morning air now. A distinctive, seasonal, familiar bite returning. My new wall heater was flicked on this morning, via a button to adjust the thermostat. A small but notable change in itself.
There are many changes occurring this season. I am not an expert on this mountain, and have the same trepidation as last year about a winter of snow, drifts, remoteness, isolation, and access, but there is a subtle grounding here as well.
I have done this before. I prevailed and had a wonderful experience over the last year. I am a bit wiser; I know now what full reserves in all aspects I will require. I am a bit more grounded. A bit more settled. Feeling far more human in relation to the Earth itself. I have shifted, and reinvested in aspects that matter more now. Mean more now. Feel more now.
The bite in the air reminds me of the year past. Gathering wood did the same. The wall heater for a quick burst of warmth sans a real fire now a seasonal ritual. The regular pressure canning throughout the weeks, tucking away goods for Spring. Tuning equipment, ensuring that which will be exposed to tended. Tending that which I need to tend me.
The air is changing, this is true. We all are changing with it whether we stop, connect, and notice it ourselves. It is the start of but one more Fall upon us, one more cycle to embrace.