September Song

September is a funny month for me. It started when we went back to school in September. For you younger readers, in the old days school started on the Tuesday after Labor day and ended in June somewhere around Flag Day. These days I see kids going back to school in the middle of August, which means the Back to School sales start around Memorial Day. It was simpler in the 1950s.

It always marked the end of whatever grand plan I had for the summer. Many years I would decide to lose weight for the summer so I’d look good in a bathing suit at the beach. By the time September rolled around and I realized I hadn’t even started to lose weight I just gave up. And, of course, September is close to November and there’s no way to lose weight between Thanksgiving and the New Year so I wouldn’t have to think about losing weight again until January.

Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I hate September. Quite the opposite. I really like September. After all, September is also the month filled with the most promise. It was the month when I’d start a new grade level, meet a new teacher, and – with any luck – have a chance to put behind me all the mistakes and transgressions of the previous year.

As a runner, September is also the month to put the mistakes of the past behind me.This September I won’t buy a new pair of shoes just before the marathon. This September I won’t decide that the shorts that I’ve been wearing all season won’t work on race day. This September I won’t decide to try the latest nutrition trick. This September I will stick with my plan and believe that what gets me to the start line will get me to the finish.

In the end that’s what makes September such a great month. Every year we have an opportunity to make our own transition. Every year we can see the seasons of our lives changing. We can let go of everything that has been and look forward to whatever is coming next.

September is the month where change is not only possible, it’s inevidable. We will never be the same person on October 1 that we were on August 31.

Waddle on, John

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Competitor Magazine columnist Author, The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals.

Have a question for John? E-mail it to thepenguin@johnbingham.com.