Change the sheets, then change me

It has been eight Septembers since I last pulled on my perfectly hemmed plaid uniform skirt and four Septembers since I last printed out a syllabus, yet I still feel that fall is the most natural time of year to undergo change. Until my friend Tali mentioned that her coworkers would tear her apart for utilizing a September – August planner, it hadn’t occurred to me that beginning a year’s worth of plans in the fall could be construed as extremely juvenile for someone who’s just snuck past the entry level professional bracket.

Plus, it’s hard to think of fall as anything but a time for changes when this year, each autumn day seemed to sweep away everything that had ever felt constant to me.

First, my good friend Tristan left the Midwest for San Francisco this past month. This was difficult because Tris is one of those rare people who you’re always in the mood to hang out with. She’s as good at dissecting friend and family issues as she is at sitting wordlessly for hours watching Dexter. She’ll agree to a McDonald’s dollar sundae run, or an actual run. That’s not to say she’s a pushover – she’s also whip smart and unafraid to tell you what she thinks. Much like the departure of our close friend Emily last March, Tris’ move was bittersweet. My circle of close girlfriends in town continues to dwindle, but it’s impossible to be disappointed when your friends are making the right choices for their futures. Tris is meant to set another city on fire, and I can’t imagine anywhere else she’d be happier.

Another change was a long time coming. After realizing I missed a lot of the detail of the “crime” occurring outside my apartment last month, I got my eyes checked. I am slightly near-sighted and now the proud owner of a sweet pair of specs I wear while driving or watching anything involving a screen. The first time I put them on, I said, “Holy shit. The whole world is HD.” It’s been lovely to make out individual leaves and stare longingly at a crystal clear Coach Eric Taylor as he gave his Emmy acceptance speech.

Texas forever.

The last change is that I just moved out of my apartment into a one bedroom. I love so many things about my new place – it’s in a yellow house on a quiet street, it has a fireplace and free parking, it’s all mine. Yet I know that I’m going to miss my roommate and our old home desperately. I’ll miss coming home to her squeal “Geeeeeeeen!” from the back bedroom, and I’ll miss spontaneous double date breakfasts with our dudes on weekend mornings. I’ll miss the realization we’ll both be home on a weeknight and – huzzah! – together, we have the exact ingredients necessary for roasted veggie and brie sandwiches on toasted baguette. Scheduling time with someone I used to live ten feet will be a bizarre adjustment, but we’ve also joked that as our social circle becomes tighter, hanging out can now be deemed an event and not a loser roomie night in. (How’s that for glass half full?)

So there you have it. Change, change, change. I’m not good at it – is anyone? - but I’m old enough now to know that fighting it is an exercise in futility. Onward and upward, no?

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For a song about change that will blow your socks off, check out Kathleen Edward's latest song, Change the Sheets.