I have always liked fall more than summer. I’ve never been one to sit out and enjoy the sun or play in the water. I just stay inside. This summer has been hard because it’s been mostly traveling for rett related reasons and recovering from those trips. There has been no Disneyland, no camping, no loosing track of what day it is. There has been a ton of appointments; wheelchair fittings, new afo’s, multiple specialist. So when I woke up and it was cooler, like “fall” cooler I couldn’t get the grin off my face. The thick fog slowed everything down, the breeze in the tree was audible and carried the smell of a wood burning stove. It made me want to curl up with a blanket and some tea and read or maybe crochet. Afterwards having some red wine with a velvety soup and some fresh sourdough bread. Even though I had to get going, it was a particularly nice effect that as we pulled out onto the street a leaf fell to my windshield and clung for a moment before blowing off.

I used to resent that my beloved fall was overtaken by Rett Syndrome awareness month in October. Nothing kills the mood like talking about how horrible Rett Syndrome is over and over and over. Reminding everyone how Claire fed herself cake on her 1st and 2nd birthdays really isn’t as fun as it sounds.

This year I am more hopeful than ever. It will be my first awareness month running a Rett related nonprofit. We are working on some really fun things. Things to make October something to look forward to. I know it’s been said that you can’t have your cake and eat it to, but this fall I plan to. I will savor the season, I will celebrate what can be done to help Rett Syndrome and with any luck, I will shave my head at the end for hitting our fundraising goal. After all, when in rettland, you can. Why not?