And just like that, summer is over! I would typically be ecstatic about this as I come alive in the fall, but it’s still 2020, so, yeah … .

Don’t get me wrong, I am excited to witness and feel the beauty of autumn, but I am also concerned about how the colder weather will affect the already limited time spent with loved ones and family, and so many other things. Nonetheless, I was able to focus my energy on spending a lovely weekend with some of my dearest friends and enjoying that first, real, crisp, autumn breeze.

Two of our friends made their way from New York City on Friday afternoon; we prepped for a yard sale the next day and had a low-key night — ordered pizza, opened a bottle of wine, caught up and played some board games. On Saturday we spent most of our day at the yard sale, and another friend joined us. After the sale wrapped, we drove around to show them some of our favorite spots (there may or may have not been a few of us singing our hearts out to Maroon 5’s V album) and ventured to Newtown to grab dinner at Lovebird — if you haven’t tried its AMAZING chicken, what have you done this summer? Ha!

We were too tired to do anything else after, so we played more board games, watched a couple movies and called it a night. On Sunday we slept in and then set out to Bald Pate Mountain in Washington Crossing, New Jersey, for an early fall hike. It was my first time on this trail, and I can honestly say it is my favorite. I loved how intricate the trail is and the view was well worth the hike; although we only gained 420 feet of elevation, it felt like a lot more, and the workout was amazing. I have to tell you, nothing beats the feeling being one with nature gives me. Simply being surrounded by trees, hearing the birds, speculating which animal I might be hearing, it’s both stressful and calming at the same time.

Plus, seeing our friends? The perfect way to balance out and end a long and exhausting week. I hadn’t seen some of them since last year! I love stillness and quiet, but I thrive when I’m around people, especially my people.

I encourage you to take advantage of the beginning of the season and spend as much time outdoors as you can; Seasonal Affective Disorder season is among us, and this time around, it’ll be much harder to engage in activities that help us get through it.

— Yasser Ogando, production & advertising coordinator