1. Crunchy Leaves

We know any reason to get out of bed in the morning is a good reason – even if it’s the simple promise of being able to step on a satisfyingly crunching leaf while walking to class. We take what we can get these days.

2. Sweater Weather

Finally, a slightly forgiving but still socially acceptable form of seasonal attire. Sweater weather extends to sweatshirts, flannels and all form of cozy clothing. Once sweater weather arrives, it won’t leave until April. And for this, we are grateful.

3. Sinking Sludge On Taylor Lake

We all know of the green sludge that has plagued our enjoyment of the water and, perhaps, has made us question whether those people fishing should actually eat those fish. The weather is cooling down and the sludge is leaving. How, we don’t know. To where, we don’t care.

4. Not Quite Finals

We’re coasting in the glorious space between midterms and finals. We have days, sometimes even weeks, where major assignments feel like distant, past haunting or far-off challenge for our future selves.

5. Baking

It’s finally cool enough that you can turn your oven on without one of your roommates lying on the floor, covered in sweat, begging you to spare their life. It’s also socially acceptable to bake treats for friends and then proceed to eat 6-12 cookies because at some point, the calories just stop counting.

6. No Need for Heat or AC

It’s cool enough that we can finally stop panting like a dog in moving vehicle in front of your tiny Bed, Bath and Beyond electric fan. But it’s not so cold that you wonder whether the glass of water on your desk will freeze at night. Not that it matters, Res Life will make you wait it out a little longer to remind you that they are the keepers of the heat.

7. Gourds

Useless, inedible, and ugly. But they’re “festive,” and we want to seem fun, so we place a few around our dorm or apartment. We stand back and look at them. We move them again to rebalance the “feng shui”. They last longer than flowers and we don’t have to worry about keeping them alive, so they are the perfect low-maintenance decorative accent. When guests come over, we gesture broadly in the direction of our gourds as if to say, why yes, thank you, I do have my life together.

8. Walking Up the Hill Without Profusely Sweating

Gone are the days of arriving at class soaked through with sweat, or trying to have a full conversation with a peer while actively perspiring. No more wondering if they can see the sweat running down our faces or hear the heaving breaths we are trying to hard to conceal. Cool days and lower humidity mean that we can, once more, arrive to class without looking like we have an overactive gland condition.

9. We’re either sinking or swimming, but at least we know.

We’ve made it more than halfway through the semester. Add/drop is long behind us and, at this point, we know we’ve committed to the classes we are in. We’re either crushing it or quickly realizing that we’re lost beyond hope. But at least there is comfort in knowing where we stand and that our final grades will be surprising only to our parents.

10. Beautiful Colors

The breakdown of chlorophyll came just in time because, well, it’s been about a week since our last instagram and we can’t lose the attention of our devoted followers. Pictures of the reflection of colorful trees in Taylor Lake captioned with #blessed are abound. It’s also the perfect time of season to appreciate the majesty of the outdoors without dripping sweat or hazarding frostbite.

11. Halloween Movie Marathons

‘Tis the season for watching a Halloweentown movie marathon and discussing the fact that they thought no one would notice when they recast Marnie Piper for the fourth film without so much of a peep from the producers. Watching these movies allows us to look back at our youth with a healthy mixture of horror and nostalgia (like that moment in Hocus Pocus when Max is told he must light the Black Flame Candle because he is a virgin, and we asked our mom what a virgin was, she said it was someone who has never been in love, and this was our working definition until high school).

12. It’s Nearly Thanksgiving

In a few weeks, we’ll be sitting around the dinner table stuffing our bodies with mashed potatoes, buttered rolls, and hot turkey. For the first time in a long time, we get to taste food that doesn’t have laxative effects and, if we’re lucky, our parents even encourage is to enjoy their wine or lounge around on the sofa in front of the TV. We get to see our extended family, friends and, more importantly, our pets.

13. Everything is Temporary

The fleeting beauty and falling leaves tell us to treasure the wonderful things while taking heart in the fact that the challenging moments will pass. Like final exams, that mean strain of pink-eye or your roommate’s crush, this season is a gentle reminder that everything temporary.