on new beginnings

Labour Day has come and gone. The days are still warm but the nights now cool and the sun ever-shifting lower in the sky. Lake swims, holiday time and long, lazy evenings are but a smiling memory now.

The shift in season has brought a plethora of new beginnings. In my world, there have been new schools, new jobs, fresh ideas to explore and new routines at home. Only two kids at home now with another departing shortly has meant fewer groceries to buy. Conversations that were once easy when we lived under the same roof happen in bits and pieces by text or phone. It has been an adjustment driving my youngest again (I had gotten used to his older brothers driving him!). 

I wasn’t sure how I would feel with so much of my life wrapped up in the daily activities of my kids but I find myself ready for this time.

What is a new beginning?

All the recent changes have given me pause to ask just what is a new beginning? Is it a major life event like going away to school, moving house, getting married or starting a job? What if you feel like everyone else is starting something new and, for you, life just feels like the same old same old?

Growing up, Labour Day had always signalled back to school. When I was first working it was odd to me that September was just another day at the office. Yes, we had Labour Day Monday as a holiday but then it was right back to work. No back to school. No fresh starts. Summer would kind of just end and the work grind would begin all over again. 

At first, every day was the same with nothing of significance to keep things fresh. Work, repeat, work, repeat … blah blah blah. Those first few years of my professional life were a blur without the milestone moments I had grown up with.

A new beginning is what you decide it is.


I used to feel like I was missing out when someone started something new and I was still in the same place. I remember the feeling when it was a colleague’s last day on the job. We would have a goodbye lunch for them. There might be a going away card or even a gift. We would all stand awkwardly while the person packed up their desk, handed in their security badge and left for the last time. I’d walk back to my desk and think, hmm, they are off on a new adventure and I am still here. Then, the next day office life would continue as if nothing had changed.

Comparison truly is the thief of joy. There will always be someone doing something that seems bigger and better.

Over time, I have come to realize that new beginnings are something you choose. Even when it feels like you are stuck there is always something you can start to shift your perspective.

New beginnings don’t have to be huge life events. It can be as simple as driving a new route to work. It can be signing up for a new class at the gym. It can be getting up half an hour earlier to read ten pages of a book. It can be the anticipation and planning of a trip in the future. What matters is that it is something new for you.

Clarity going forward

A new beginning can be big or small. Something to keep life fresh and bright. One step at a time.

For me, I am finding stable ground again after the loose, freestyle days of summer. I am relishing in routine and digging deep into my daily habits. I am taking a ballet class with a friend. Spending more time with my husband. 

And, as my kids embark on new beginnings of their own, I find myself grateful for the foundation we have built over the years to stay connected even when we aren't together.

Tell me, what new beginnings are you experiencing this September?

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