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Hello, October! “The times, they are a-changin’!” as Bob Dylan sang. I guess you have to be an oldie to catch that one.

And they are changing fast! One minute, you are at the beach on a hot summer day. You look away for a second and when you turn back around, the Great Pumpkin is flying around. And what is this? Christmas decorations? And they are mixed in with the Valentine candy! Before you know it, the Grinch will be stuffing the Thanksgiving turkey in a trick-or-treat bag and giving it to Max for Valentine’s Day as they sit back and watch the 4th of July fireworks! I miss the days when Rudolph didn’t show up until December.

I used to love this time of year! Halloween was coming! That was fun. One year, I was a clown. But clowns are not funny anymore, they are scary these days. Thanks a lot, Stephen King! I was an astronaut once. Must have been around 1969. Then came the homemade costumes, hobos and cowboys and crazy stuff like people wear every day now! Thanksgiving was always nice because of the food! Still is! And then there was Christmas. Christmas was the best! Still is, as long as you remember the reason for the season!

But things can change over time. The excitement changes somehow. Maybe it changes to a sense of anticipation or a contentment. For some there is a sense of loss. There are lots of reasons for this. We get older. We lose loved ones. Lots of reasons. But I think one big reason is that we have gotten so busy with life. I’m not necessarily saying that life has gotten busier. I’m saying that we have gotten busier. By our own choice, we cram more and more into our existence. We do this until the excitement and enjoyment of life is pushed out by noise and stress.

Maybe this is a season to sit back and chill a little bit. Enjoy the people in your life, rather than the events of life. Slow down and watch the children play. Listen to the birds sing. Read a book! (You know I had to stick that in there somewhere!)

Be good!

J.B. Crenshaw is the library director for Lunenburg County Public Library System. He can be reached at jbcrenshaw.lcpls@gmail.com.