a.k.a. V.J.

More than any other month on the calendar, August is a time of transitions for me.

It starts with the weather. In many parts of the U.S., I know August is associated with the sweltering dog days of summer. But in my corner of Upstate New York, this is the time of year when things begin to cool down a little bit. The typical pattern is that around the middle of the month, the days will remain hot, but the nights will start to cool. That pattern seems to have gotten an early start this year, as I glance at a forecast saying that the mercury will dip to the mid-fifties tonight.

The very beginnings of the local fall-foliage season can be observed along the roadsides early in August. Just today, I saw a few leaves here and there that were starting to turn color. (The photos below were all taken on the day of this writing: 8/1/23).

On a personal level, August is my birthday month. That’s not nearly as big of a deal to me now as it was when I was younger, but it’s still very much an occasion to reflect on transitions. This year, I will be 55. While I feel good physically and have heard a million times that “age is just a number,” 55 is still a pretty stark number to wrap one’s head around. I know Sammy Hagar had a hard time accepting it.

August is, of course, back-to-school season. A new academic year is always an emotional stew of hope, angst, nostalgia, optimism, and uncertainty for students and faculty alike. In our household, we have members of both camps, so we are doubly impacted on the first day of classes. (Stay tuned later this month for Griffin and me in our “posing in the front yard on the first day of school – grown-up edition” pics.)

There are other seasonal milestones along the way that won’t necessarily hold meaning for everyone, but to me always signify the end of summer: the New York State Fair, pre-season NFL football games, and the end of sweet corn being available at local farmstands, just to name a few.

For the most part, these transitions of August are pleasant or, at worst, bittersweet. Regardless of how pleasant or unpleasant they prove to be, changes will come whether I fight them or embrace them. I choose the latter.