It’s that time of year again: regardless of how long you have been out of school, September always feels like a time of new beginnings.

But if that’s the case, why is everyone feeling so blah?

Now it’s possible you are not. It’s possible you are springing out of bed and tackling your to-do list andlonging for the weekend so you can climb a rickety ladder and do a little light apple picking while wearing a cable-knit sweater in a color J. Crew refers to as “schist” — and if that’s the case for you I offer you my heartfelt congratulations.

But I’m also here to tell you that there are a number of people surrounding you who are feeling discombobulated, enervated, listless….blah.

Perhaps it’s because Labor Day came too soon. Perhaps it’s because your goldenrod allergies are running amok.Perhaps it’s because your to-do list now includes “Switch over summer to winter clothes.” Perhaps it’s because you’re already stymied by what to put in your child’s lunchbox.

You decide.

But if the above is the case for you, my recommendation is to embrace it. Say yes to the mess. Yes to the disorganization. Yes to the lack of pep in your step.

Because I’m thinking once you do, those apples your cheery chums drop by with are going to taste mighty good….and now that you’re feeling  a bit more like yourself, you can prop yourself up and direct operations while they bake you a pie.

Frances Cole Jones