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SBU | Life > Experiences

Living Fully in Fall

Sarah McKenna Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Fall is my favorite time of year. It tops summer, Christmas, and even my birthday. There is just something about fall that fills me with happiness and comfort. I think the biggest part of that fall feeling is the nostalgia that surrounds it.

My mom is a HUGE fall fanatic. And when I mean huge, I’m not lying. This girl takes her decorating seriously. I went home this past weekend, and while walking into my house, I was immediately surprised by all the crazy decor changes and millions of pumpkins that are scattered around the house. Not to mention, the fall candles that my mom always seems to be burning linger throughout the entire house and fill me with a strong sense of comfort and warmth.  

Every year, my hometown hosts an annual event called Harvest Fest. A couple of my friends also came home for the weekend, so we decided we’d all go downtown and meet for the festival. It was so fun to just get a little break and take some time to do something fun. There are so many vendors there that have cute food stands, jewelry pop-ups, book displays, and music playing. My favorite stand was probably one of the coffee places where I got a $10 iced pumpkin latte. Yes, the $10 was definitely not an ideal price to pay for a grande-sized coffee, but it was worth it for the memory with my friends.  

Now, I understand why someone wouldn’t like fall. Yes, winter is coming soon, and I get that the snow and freezing weather in western New York isn’t exactly ideal. But I feel like that’s just giving fall a bad reputation. I think we just need to live in the moment and appreciate the fact that yes, we can have iced pumpkin chais from Starbucks right now! Life is worth living! 

Since fall is back-to-school season, it is like a new beginning. Something about fall just screams Sunday resets. I’m motivated to get stuff done. I’m motivated to try new experiences. I don’t bed rot in fall. I thrive.  

Speaking of new beginnings, I’m at college, and it’s fall! I absolutely cannot wait to walk the Allegany trail while listening to Noah Kahan or Taylor Swift and fully romanticizing life. I can’t wait to see the leaves change on Devereux Hall and post about it on my Instagram story. And a big shoutout to my RA, Molly, for talking about fall with me the other day and showing me some of the beautiful pictures she takes on the trail when all the leaves change color.  

So I encourage you all to truly appreciate the time we have right now to appreciate this season. This is such a fun time of the year, and it deserves to be lived fully. Even if fall isn’t your favorite season, I hope that maybe reading my perspective makes you enjoy it even just slightly more. 

Sarah McKenna

SBU '30

Sarah is a first-year writer for HerCampus. She has always had a genuine interest in writing and is excited to share her perspective, explore new topics, and be apart of a creative, supportive writing community.

She is a freshman accounting major at St. Bonaventure University and stays active on campus through Bona Buddies, SBU at SPCA, yoga club, pilates club, and the University Jazz Choir. Through HerCampus, Sarah hopes to grow her writing skills and connect with other students.

Outside of school, Sarah loves anything related to music. Her favorite artists are Olivia Dean, Harry Styles and Noah Kahan. She also enjoys nature, the lake, spending time with friends, and playing pickleball.