545. Random memories.

The reason why I have so much character today: I got braces in the 4th grade on Halloween.

1981. It was an eventful year for other reasons: The adult I felt closest to, my grandma, died of first- and second-hand smoke induced lung cancer. Two months later, our family had a new addition: a 10 month old foster baby. (He was placed in a permanent home less than a year later.) A few months later, my mom would be hospitalized--for what seemed like months, but was probably weeks--for a gall bladder removal and a stomach stapling operation gone wrong. (She almost died unbeknownst at the time to me and my siblings.) In June of the same school year, I got my first D in school, spelling. I was labeled a "smart kid," so this came as a shock--to put it mildly and diplomatically--to my parents.

Home life affects school performance? Nonsense.

I've always had a thing for Autumn. It's my favorite season. And not just because I love the accessories: gloves, scarves, ear-muffs, boots, fluffy coats. It's the shorter days, longer nights. Fires in the fireplace. Hot cocoa. Staying inside. Bundling up to go out.

I love gusty wind. When I was a kid, I imagined wind was really just a couple of angels playing with my hair. --My comment to this post.

I'm going to end this post here. It doesn't quite feel complete, I don't know where the end is. But it's Autumn, not Winter. Sometimes you have to let things go even when/if they don't feel complete.