I’m a fall kind of girl. I’ve always had a fondness for the colors, the chill (and the resulting necessity for winter clothing, some of which I knit myself!). But most of all, I love the return of structure to my life and the goal-setting that comes along with it.

See, both my parents taught school. That means that during my entire childhood, summer was the time for all our schedules to fill up with laziness, ennui, afternoons lying around flung across my bed reading piles of library books that were inappropriate for my age (V.C. Andrews, anyone?). Even after I got old enough that my summers were filled with daily ballet classes/music lessons/SAT prep, the pace was positively lackadaisical compared with fall: there was always time to stop for coffee at the best coffee shop in my hometown, meet up with my friends from youth group, take in a movie, or throw an impromptu slumber party. A return to school, though, meant a return to structure—and welcome it was after three whole months (way too long, in my opinion) of loafing around.

I enjoyed buying new (and later, secondhand) clothing according to what I determined to be my new style for the year (preppy theatre geek? ballerina chic? something sequiny every day?). During routine errands with my mum, I kept a sharp eye out, and always stocked up on notebooks, binders, colorful pens and Post-Its the very second that the back-to-scool displays went up at Target (typically before all the 4th of July stock had been marked down). Although I never followed sports at my school, I looked forward to homecoming dances (and all the associated rituals—picking out a dress, planning a dinner and a post-party with my friends, deciding who would be my date) with glee typical of a grunge kid at her first Pixies show.

Even more, I had a fixation with schedules, lists, and planning. I took special pleasure in buying a student planner that started July 1 rather than in mid-August, just so that I could start using it sooner(I wrote down everything, even going so far as to schedule time for reading and cleaning during the summertime) I had two sets of Mr. Sketch scented markers that I used to draw up a detailed schedule for the school year that included classes, extracurriculars, church activities, ballet classes, and alloted study time each week. The very first issue of Seventeen that I ever bought happened to be the back-to-school issue in 1994, and I think my love affair with teen magazines started right then, because it featured an article on school year’s resolutions (which I cut out and kept in a notebook for years after).

Needless to say, even though I’ve graduated from the very last phase of my education, I still relish the thought of back-to-school season. I am employed at a school, and earlier this week was the first day. . . and you can be damn sure that I picked out an amazing outfit. (Sure enough, a friend I hadn’t seen since April complimented me on how great I looked!) Not only that, but despite my lack of a return to classes, I’m finding myself engaging the ritual of goal-setting self-reinvention that I’ve consciously repeated every year since kindergarten. I’m not sure why I choose this time of year to do it and eschew any kind of new year’s resolution. Maybe it has to do with the fact that by December, I’m not only swamped with holiday-induced madness (and I don’t even celebrate Christmas!), but I’m also amidst an annual spate of seasonal affective disorder, which makes me more tired than usual and keeps me from starting any kind of useful projects.

Now, though, I’m in full swing to initialize these resolutions starting between now and September 22 (the first actual day of fall). Instead of goals to make the dance team (from grade 7), stop forgetting my homework (grade 2), dress amazingly every day and never wear merely jeans and a tee (grade 8), or work out three times a week outside of the dance studio (sophomore year of college), my current ones are a lot more age- and situation-appropriate.

Here’s my list of resolutions:

  • I will dress consciously every day. The temperature in New York has been uncomfortably high, and I’ve been in a sundress rut for weeks. This means that I will:
    • own only things that make me feel amazing. No clothing that doesn’t fit. No clothing that makes me feel fat, dumpy, pale, unfashionable, or physically uncomfortable.
    • pay close attention to my laundry, and stay on top of it on a regular schedule. This way I won’t decide on what to wear only to find out it’s got a big spot on it and has to go to the laundry.
    • take time to accessorize. Without qualification, I always feel amazing when I’m wearing amazing accessories.
  • I will educate myself about personal finance so I can make the most of what I’m earning at my day job. (Hint: expect some personal finance articles coming up soon!)
  • I will visit the gym several times a week. As part of my personal finance goal above, I’ve set up a list of line-item expenses to deduct from each paycheck. I’ve set aside money from a check I’m getting in two weeks to pay my dues to the gym for a whole year. I’m looking forward to being in the pool as much as possible, as well as watching trash T.V. while I’m on the elliptical machines.
  • I will make an effort to invoke the principles set forth in this post.
  • As part of the above, I will stop wasting time. I have way too much to get done to waste time playing online sudoku, sorting my safety pin collection, or reading blogs written by spiteful and ridiculous people that I don’t even know. Make sense?

Who here feels the way I do about fall resolutions? Anyone want to share theirs?

Related posts:

  1. Today I’m Reading About: New Year’s Resolutions
  2. Non-Year’s Resolutions 2009
  3. How to Have An Amazing Fall 2008