Is August the Sunday Scaries of Months? We often hear the term Sunday Scaries that feeling you get Sunday evening after a beautiful weekend when you start to think about all the things you have to get done the next school or work week, but lately many of us are feeling the August Blues. That end of summer feeling knowing that school is starting up again, we are back in our Monday-Friday routines, the days are getting shorter, you鈥檙e starting to feel the crisp air in the morning, and before we know it, winter will be here.

I find myself thinking these things, and I don鈥檛 know why! September brings so many beautiful things! First, the start of a new school year, where school supplies are shiny and fresh, you or your child may have a new teacher that you have heard fantastic things about, and the opportunity to make new friends or try new things is there! It is exciting.

Fall also brings so much natural beauty, changing the leaves from green to yellow and orange. You can now get a light jacket when you go for a walk or hike or just out for the evening. The stadium lights shine on a football field, whether for the NFL or the local high school. The smell of warm soups, root vegetables, and pumpkin spice will now take over your house.

So why yes, while the days will no longer smell of sunscreen and fruit, the sun will set a little earlier you will be back to schedule and routine. I say try to embrace the Fall. Don鈥檛 be scared of it! And, maybe, just maybe, try something new this fall and get out of your comfort zone.

With the world beginning to reopen in this hopeful final chapter of the pandemic, I’m turning to flowers for wise counsel. 

Dandelions and Daisies unfold at light鈥檚 command. The Marvel of Peru (or 4 o鈥檆lock) opens in late afternoon and shuts come morning. Lilies have less observable triggers, their petals peel back in ruffles from pressure building within their cell walls. Paratonic movement refers to a plant鈥檚 response to various external stimuli, a term which doesn鈥檛 do justice to the tender and often arresting beauty of an eventual blossom.   

For as many ways that a flower responds to external forces, the timing of their petals opening and closing, again and again, is their best chance for pollination and protection from harm. I imagine similar forces working in our favor when negotiating a return to normal life, and look for signals that tell me I am ready. On my way to work, the corridor of purple jacaranda trees lining Del Mar Blvd. is a welcome sight. 

In little more than one week, 优蜜视频 Academy will experience its own kind of blossoming, with students taking classes Monday through Thursday at our Learning Center in Pasadena. Eight classes in all, including robotics, chemistry, and podcasting, we are excited to share stories and fun photos of the action! If you missed the chance to join us this summer for an in-person or online class, we are here to help answer your questions for the fall. Every session is a new season for learning and fun, so stay tuned and stay in touch!