Please Stop Asking If We’re “Ready for Fall” (We’ve Been Ready Since June)

Every year, right around mid-September, someone inevitably asks the question. You know the one. The one that makes the fall enthusiasts’ collective eye twitch.

“Are you ready for fall?”

Ready? We’ve been ready since June.

We Never Stopped Being Ready

While everyone else was basking in the sun, pretending to enjoy humidity and mosquito bites, we were sitting inside, air conditioner blasting, watching Practical Magic for the twelfth time, sipping iced coffee out of a Halloween mug, and counting down the days until it would be socially acceptable to light a pumpkin-scented candle.

We’ve been emotionally in October since the second week of summer.

This Is Not a Phase. It’s a Lifestyle.

Some people train for marathons. We train for fall. We’ve built tolerance for 90-degree weather while drinking hot chai because the aesthetic matters.

We’ve scrolled past every summer beach post whispering, “You’ll never understand.” We’ve been wearing muted orange nail polish in defiance of seasonal color charts. We’ve had decorative gourds in our carts since July.

This isn’t just enthusiasm, it’s dedication.

Our Bodies Are Ready (Our Closets, Too)

Our flannels are washed. Our boots are waiting. We’ve been itching to layer since the first bead of summer sweat hit our foreheads.

Do you know how painful it is to have a closet full of cozy sweaters and not be able to wear them without heatstroke? To own five scarves that haven’t seen the light of day since April?

Fall people have been sweating in anticipation, literally.

Stop Acting Like It Sneaks Up on Us

Fall doesn’t sneak up on the fall people. We’ve been manifesting it. We’ve been lighting cinnamon candles in protest of the sun. We were emotionally sipping cider long before Starbucks brought back the PSL.

The rest of you may suddenly notice the weather shift and think, “Wow, it’s getting chilly.” We noticed that in our souls three months ago.

This Is Our Super Bowl

You have your big game. We have our equinox. This is our moment. The halftime show is a candle haul. The uniforms are oversized sweaters and fuzzy socks. The trophies are perfectly curated porch pumpkins and latte art leaves.

We’ve studied for this. Trained for this. Waited for this.

So Please, Stop Asking. We’ve Been Ready.

We’ve been ready since the first humid day of June, when the rest of you were still praising the sun and we were whispering, “Soon.”

Fall people aren’t made, they’re forged in the fire of scented candles and coffee steam. We are pumpkin-scented warriors, armed with cozy blankets and an unhealthy amount of enthusiasm.

So when the world finally cools down and the leaves start to turn, don’t ask if we’re ready. Just step aside and let us live our truth.

Because this?
This is our season.
And we’ve been waiting all year for the curtain to fall.