My calendar tells me today is the first of September, which means 2022 is two-thirds over. September though always feels like a new year.

That may be a hangover from student days, when school would start up about now after a summer break. Most people eventually end that pattern, graduating and start careers that don’t follow the same rhythm. That hasn’t been the case in my family. Yes, there is graduation, but when there is a teacher in the household, September is always a time of new beginnings as school starts up again for another year.

For some people, September is more about endings, the harvest and the culmination of the growing season. I understand that intellectually, but it doesn’t resonate with me emotionally. I remember visiting relatives on their farm, but that was 60 years ago. I don’t remember what they were growing. Maybe it was just livestock. Suffice it to say, I’m an urban person, I don’t spend much time thhinking about farms. 

I am realizing that this consciousness of the passage of time as September hits is perhaps a good thing. It is a sign that we are returning a a sense of normalcy. COVID-19 is still with us, but no longer dominates the narrative for most of us. We are aware of the virus, but it no longer dictates how we live our lives. 

From March 2020 to essentially March 2022 it seemed like everything we did was filtered through a pandemic lens. We stayed home from work, from school, from , from sports events and concerts. Social events were held online. Nobody was quite sure what day it was. Weekends and weekdays alike were spent online. Restrictions would be lifted, then reimposed as another pandemic wave crashed up on our shores. We were captives to fear and technology.

Now the fear has lessened for many people, and the rhythms of life are slowly returning. So I can celebrate the beginning of September and the passage of time.

It seems the year is rushing by too quickly – but that is a lot better than being stuck in a pandemic loop where every day is just like the one before.

As for me, I plan to celebrate this monthly milestone by going to a baseball game with some friends. We’re going to cheer on the “boys of summer” even if there is a whiff of Fall in the air. Canadian summers are too short. I’m not ready to let go yet, no matter what the calendar tells me.