A Special Time Of Year

To the editor: October is a special time to be on Nantucket. And for many of us who have worked hard through another busy summer, it is a joyful one as well.

The crowds thin. The traffic eases. The pace slows. Familiar faces reappear. Gradually, the island begins to return to us—and we begin to return to one another.

There is time again to linger over coffee, stop and talk on the street, reconnect with friends and participate in the community we barely had time for during the rush of summer.

And there is still warmth.

Cool mornings give way to surprisingly warm afternoons. The autumn light falls differently across the moors, and the harbor still holds enough of summer to tempt swimmers and paddlers back onto the water.

There is something precious about warmth when you know it will not last. In July, we expect another beautiful day. In October, we receive one as a gift.

These weeks offer a brief pause between seasons—a time to enjoy what remains while preparing for what is coming.

Autumn has always been a season of reflection. The natural world gathers and releases. Leaves surrender their green. Birds begin their journeys. Perhaps we instinctively do something similar: taking stock of the summer behind us, letting go of what needs to be left behind and considering what comes next.

Soon the November winds will arrive. The days will grow darker and the island quieter. Some will welcome the solitude of winter; others will leave in search of warmer places.

But not yet.

For now, there is October: warm sun, cool air, quieter roads, familiar faces and a little more time for one another.

A time to reconnect. A time to reflect. A time to prepare.

A very special time of year.

Charles Dundee