It’s here; the first week after Labour Day – the real start of the New Year.
And yes, it hits like a slap in the face after what was likely one last beer and BBQ-filled lazy last (unofficial) weekend of summer.
Let’s focus on the positive: Besides the return of Pumpkin Spice Latte and layering of clothing, there are many legitimate reasons to get excited for fall.
Here are 12 of them.
You’re already used to the weather.
The weather in Toronto was pretty much brutal all-around this summer and Mother Nature decided to keep with the trend and grace us with some leather jacket-appropriate days already to end it off. The good news is that the chilly fall wind will be less of a shock to the system once it hits.
The Friday commute is shorter.
While you may have shed a silent tear when you had to close the cottage for the season, at least you no longer have to end your workweek sitting in three hours of maddening traffic.
Running outside isn’t as torturous.
Not only do the multi-coloured leaves make for a prettier run outdoors, you won’t feel like you’re dying of heat stroke and smog suffocation like you may in the summer. Add the crisp fall air, and the conditions are ideal for pounding that pavement in your new runners.
Your TTC ride is a little (a little) more bearable.
The only thing worse than a packed streetcar during rush hour that moves slower than the pedestrians beside it is a hot, sweaty, stuffy streetcar that’s basking in the summer heat. We don’t have to worry about that again for a good nine months.
You’ll finally tackle that annoying to-do list.
The problem with getting anything done during the hazy days of summer is that there are always so many things to do instead that are a million times more fun. Once the summer festivals wrap, the temperatures drop and the cottage trips end, tackling that never-ending to-do list seems a little more doable.
It’s romantic as hell.
Sure, the summer is a pretty sexy time to have a passionate fling. But fall is for the making of actual relationships – whether they last all winter or for life. Think: comfy sweater snuggles, fall colour-filled walk, fireplaces and a return to Netflix = all the makings of a new relationship.
You require less personal maintenance.
Let’s be honest: shaving your legs every day eats up too much precious time. Once bare legs become a distant memory, you can be a lot more forgiving in the stubbly leg department (especially if you’re not in a relationship). The same can be said for your pedicure cause – when nobody sees your toes, your nail salon bill is a lot lower.
You can kiss your summer beer belly goodbye.
Summertime and beer are pretty much synonymous; beer at the BBQ, beer on the dock and beer at the baseball game (let’s not forget about all of the beer festivals). Naturally, this can result in a bit of a beer belly for the best of us by the time September rolls around. Not only does the fall mark a return to your fitness routine, it also means less beer.
You won’t feel as guilty for your all-day Netflix binge.
If you want to lay in bed all day and binge watch your favourite shows – only to move to go to the bathroom and to answer the door for the pizza delivery – you can feel less guilty knowing that you’re not wasting away a beautiful, sunny summer day (just a mediocre one).
Your Mondays will be easier on the system.
The positive side to having decidedly less epic weekends in the fall is that your alarm clock on Monday mornings won’t be quite as tedious as it is in the summer, when you’re still hungover from the cottage weekend.
Wedding season is over.
All of the five weddings you had over the summer have come and gone, leaving you with wide open weekends to do whatever you want to this fall and to shamelessly spend your money on yourself instead of on other people.
The next long weekend is just weeks away.
Well letting go of summer may seem super depressing right now, the good news is we just have to power through a few weeks (okay, just over a month), then we have a feast-filled long weekend when Thanksgiving rolls around.