Here we are, Labor Day Weekend, a.k.a. the “end” of summer. This week, I could feel the shift toward fall in my bones. And if I’m honest, a swarm of comparison thoughts rolled in too. I caught myself tallying all the big, splashy summer adventures I didn’t have, scrolling past friends who seemed to be everywhere at once — jetsetting in other countries, on camping trips, mountain summits, swimming in lakes. It’s interesting how, right at the edge of a season, the reckoning shows up. Maybe it’s because in Montana, we know what’s coming: long, cold winters that demand preparation and a steady heart.

I brought it to my team, the dread that rides shotgun with inevitable endings, and of course, I’m not alone. So I’ve been practicing a reframe: be where my feet are. Savor the end-of-summer shift instead of grading it. Because I really do love fall oh so much. And there are still many gorgeous, golden weeks ahead before the snow flies. When I actually look back at my own camera roll and calendar, I’ve been out there—often, and with people I love. In the past week I...

Attended the Crow Fair and powwow with my friends Harriet and Steve.
Wandered the Nick-Knack Market with my daughter, then did crucial research: comparing Genuine vs. Sweet Peaks ice cream, one scoop at each.
Snipped my own bouquet at the flower farm at Amaltheia Farms (Four Daughters has a great one too).
Took my 100th class at Monarch Studio!
And I’m heading out camping with my kids this weekend.

That’s a full, beautiful life, right here in and around Bozeman. Not performative, not epic, just present. That counts.

I always loved back-to-school as a kid. The new shoes, fresh pencils, a whole new cast of classmates and teachers. As much as I adore pumpkins (and will probably be decorating my porch with those floating pumpkin candles {link} come October), September, for me, is always for “back to school.” It’s for apple picking and watching the first leaves turn, for tightening the laces on our daily rituals and saying yes to what steadies us. I’m letting October be October and letting September be September.

If comparison is nipping at your heels, here’s a gentle practice I’m using:

Name what you actually did, not what you didn’t. Make a short list. Let it be enough. (Like mine above. It helps!)
Step outside and find three true things: the temperature on your skin, the color of the sky, the sound closest to you. Be where your feet are.
Choose one small September ritual. Eg. a neighborhood walk at dusk, a new notebook, a cup of tea on the steps. Keep it simple.

Whatever you did this summer—and whatever you’re doing right now, this weekend—is enough. Truly. Likely, wherever you are is gorgeous in its own way if you open your eyes and take it in.

Here’s to Montana love at summer’s end, and to stepping into September with presence, gratitude, and a little woo hoo. Be where your feet are.