As our sweaters slowly move to the front of our closets, and the number of pumpkin spice latte mentions rises, it is safe to say that Fall has arrived. For some, like Alessia Cara, this marks a rather bittersweet ending to something definitively amazing. The song, “October,” comes from her EP The Summer that contains nostalgic remnants of memories of summer, a time when Cara seemingly had no worries for the future (same though). When asked about the song, she explains that she wrote it as an attempt to hold onto fleeting summer memories. To her audience, Cara said, “The places we’ve been, the nostalgia we accidentally set ourselves up for, and the months I’ll always think about. I hope this one takes you somewhere.” Cara’s lyrics provide her fans with an escape route back to a time when they felt free of pressure.
Now that school has started and of course, midterm season has begun to f*ck us over, we all could all use a reminder of the ~good times~. Hopefully, it hasn’t been so long that you’ve forgotten those glorious times when we could stick our heads out the car window, lay on the beach for hours and do other summer-related things only seen in the movies. “October” is the type of song I can listen to on repeat until I can literally taste the last lick of ice cream on my melting cone, until I can still see my faded tan lines, and until I can still remember the pure joy I felt every, single day. As a freshman, this is my first-time experiencing college midterms, and it’s safe to say it certainly won’t be my last – or my worst. Yet, I feel some sense of comfort in knowing how easy it is to revert back to times when the only thing on my mind was whether the sand would wash out of my hair or whether I could be late to work and get away with it. The number of valence electrons of Helium, phylogenetic trees, and the Greek alphabet would never have crossed my mind two months ago.
Cara emphasizes her point through the repetition of the lines “I hope we never see October/yeah, yeah/I felt the weight fall off my shoulders.” Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the ill-fated month forever. Once midterms end, we have to remember that there are memories to be made now. Grab your closest friends, your coziest sweater (or cutest fall look in this 80 degree weather), and head to the nearest pumpkin patch.
Fall does not have to be synonymous with the end of summer. While it does inherently require the end of trips to the beach and the shift to a warmer wardrobe, it doesn’t have to mean the end of making fun memories and desiring to capture every moment. Cara’s song exemplifies the “summer vibe” where everything is fun and fleeting but nothing matters. With the drop in temperature and other seasonal changes, our problems suddenly seem much more pressing and closer to reality. The grade I get on my first Chem exam matters, and my attendance in Health is worth almost as much as any assignments I complete for the class. We just have to keep in mind that cozying up in our blankets, turning on Halloweentown and drinking our favorite hot chocolate can be just as good, if not better (in my opinion), as enjoying a cold glass of lemonade, sitting by the pool.
It’s really up to you. I completely understand the need to be sentimental and I know that nostalgia can hit and hit hard. At the same time, I am a strong proponent of not living in the past. Allow yourself to reminisce, but not if it gets in the way of having the best spooky season you can.