The Season of Fresh Starts

New pencils. New teachers. A crispness in the air. Autumn’s back-to-school energy is upon us, fuelled by the swirl of teachers, kids and parents homing in on the school central to their lives.

But even those of us long past our own school years – I, for one, am in denial that my 40-year high school reunion is well within view – feel the vibrations of the season. For some, September is an early New Year, with its clean slates, fresh routines and the promise of, just maybe, finding a better version of ourselves. Even if those versions bomb.

I have a vivid memory of reinventing my fashion persona one September – into The Girl Who Wears French Berets – in Grade 7 (or was it 8?) at Mono-Amaranth Public School.

What I hadn’t factored into my grand plan was Mother Nature’s habit of unleashing a heat wave the first week of school. As I sat at my cramped desk, perspiring under my thick, cream-coloured wool beret, even my teacher’s sweet suggestion that I might consider removing the hat failed to land. I was committed to the bit. I’m sure she was bracing herself for a heat-induced fainting spell. I made it through the day, but the beret did not endure. And the following September, I tried my next schtick.

Thankfully, trying something new isn’t just for kids. If we’re brave, we can evolve indefinitely. At least that seems to be the hopeful message of many stories in this issue – they’re full of next chapters, new beginnings and so much purpose.

Story Continues Below Advertisements

Jeff Rollings catches up with longtime In The Hills contributor Ken Weber, who, after penning dozens of magazine columns and books, has exited his comfort zone and written his first novel – fittingly for September, a book set in a 1951 schoolhouse.

Gail Grant writes about her decision to pull up stakes and move from Caledon to Calgary. If that weren’t enough, she also made the life-changing decision to join others in an independent living residence for seniors. One look at her beaming face in the photo accompanying the piece and it’s clear how she feels about her leap of faith.

Elsewhere, we learn about septuagenarians and octogenarians hitting small-town gyms to lift weights and work out in ways previously unfamiliar to them – renewing their commitment to health. And Bethany Lee writes about getting that memo, too. She is on the strength-training bandwagon in what a friend dubbed her “second half.”

Cheers to that. Here’s to more big moves, more time at the gym – and sticking with it – and, maybe, fewer sweaty days in ill-chosen wool berets.