Virginia Woolf once wrote, “All the months are crude experiments, out of which the perfect September is made.”
We keep coming back to that line as we move into this new season. Because even as the backdrop of our lives feels unsettled, the days keep changing. The light softens. The air shifts. Trees move from green to gold with no hesitation, no worry about the weight of the news cycle.
It’s a reminder that beauty is stubborn. It insists on showing up, even when we’re distracted. The headlines may be grim, but the tomatoes still ripen on the vine. The mornings still begin crisp. The park still hums with the quiet rhythm of people walking, children laughing, dogs leading the way.
Maybe that’s why September feels close to perfect. It’s not because it asks us to ignore what’s hard, it’s because it reminds us that life is layered. Grief and joy. Uncertainty and abundance. The world can unravel and yet the seasons stitch themselves faithfully back together.
In that way, September isn’t an escape. It’s a grounding reminder to look up at the trees, notice the sky, and remember that beauty of the natural world has always carried us through.
Here’s to finding it everywhere this month.
Your neighbors,
Shaleen and Sam DeStefano