The cooler month of October has arrived on our Canadian soil and perhaps with it an early winter blizzard. But snow and studies shouldn’t prevent us from enjoying everything the autumn season has to offer. From unleashing your wildest Halloween costume ideas to enhancing your yoga session with a pumpkin scented candle, fall is the ideal time to relish all our blessed senses. Touch, taste, inhale, hear, and see all the pleasures this chapter presents.
TOUCH
- Enjoy the satisfaction of carving a pumpkin and scraping out all its gooey guts. Squish the pumpkin flesh between your fingers. Be sure to separate the seeds for a tasty sensual pleasure for later.
- Grab some buddies for a friendly game of touch football. Get physical and competitive outside in the invigorating fall air and feel study stress dissipate.
- Dig the rake out of the garage and clean up the yard. Jump with abandon into a big pile of leaves and embrace your inner child.
- Gather up every warm, soft, plush throw you have and wrap yourself in comforting warmth on a chilly fall evening.
- Invite all your friends for a night out of dancing and fall drink specials at your favourite local pub. Play darts or pool and forget about school work for an evening.
TASTE
- Clean and season all the pumpkin seeds to roast in the oven for a nutritious fall snack. Toss the seeds with soy sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, cumin, and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and heat up the kitchen by roasting them at 250 degrees for about an hour, until dry. Crunch away!
- Be hands-on and go apple picking in a local orchard and bake an apple crisp like Mom used to make.
- Stock up on seasonal fall produce and roast up a big batch of colourful fall vegetables or bake a heart-warming squash soup—divine.
- Nothing says fall like a big hearty pot of chili. Try ground turkey or veggie chili and freeze some for busy school days.
- Prevent colds naturally by regularly imbibing in a hot drink with boiling water, lemon juice, honey, and ginger. Sip and savour in your favourite mug.
SMELL
- Indulge in the heavenly scents of a fall candle like cedar wood or caramel apple in your study area. Be sure to place on a safe surface away from pets.
- Bake a spicy pumpkin pie from scratch. Be sure to share and impress your family.
- Try different spices in your choice hot drink, like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, or nutmeg. Breathe in; breathe out.
- Indulge in a new Shea butter and prevent dry winter skin in the process. Let delicious flavours from coffee bean to French vanilla satisfy your senses.
- Invest in a diffuser to humidify your home and invigorate your senses with peppermint, bergamot, and orange essential oils. I attest this helps me stay focused.
SOUND
- Leave your desk for a stroll among the trees on your next study break. Really listen for the sound of leaves wafting to the ground to touch down softly in a brilliant mosaic of colour.
- Go to your local library to study in blissful peace and quiet.
- Download new tunes you generally wouldn’t listen to like Reggae or Jazz – you may be surprised at how relaxing an accompaniment to study these can be.
- If you are lucky enough to live near bodies of water, take advantage on your next hike or walk. Listen to the wisdom of moving water gurgling or crashing ashore before winter comes and freezes it solid. Go with the flow.
SIGHT
- Take a country drive or city park tour and look at the amazing display of foliage. Remember to snap Instagram-worthy photos.
- Get completely lost inside a corn maze. I don’t think this one would be much of a challenge for us more directionally-challenged folks.
- Collect fall leaves and design a beautiful centerpiece for your coffee table.
- Visit a dog park and watch the furry beasts go wild with freedom and exuberance. Smiles and laughter guaranteed.
- Binge on a horror-fest of your favourite scary thrillers. More entertaining if you coerce your easy-to-scare friend to join in on the shivers.
Autumn is a glorious season to witness; a season of nature showing us how to shine bright and then—let go. Remember to steal a serene fall nap or two as well. The hectic season of Christmas is coming, after all. But first, design your own Oktoberfest!
