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A storm is not always a welcome event.
And yet here in the Pays Basque, it’s almost ceremonial. Fall is marked by the swell — bigger waves, the emptying of crowds, an energy you can feel in the air before a shift but can’t quite name.
This year, fall didn’t arrive by calendar alone. It arrived with a hurricane.
The last days of high heat, long dinners, and late sunsets shuttered overnight.
Restaurants closed. Tides rose. Some took shelter; others went straight into the waves.
I stood on the terrace, salt spray on my face, watching one gust, one crest, one high wind at a time as summer was swept out to sea.
Transitions are like this. Some arrive suddenly, undeniable, in a single gust.
Others creep in quietly, almost invisibly, until you realize you’ve crossed a threshold.
From summer to fall. From here to there. From before to after. Either way, moving from one season into the next rarely feels seamless.
September in particular asks much of us. Calendars fill. Mornings speed. Expectations stack. And yet your head, your heart, what I often think of as your inner season may still be lingering in summer’s softer cadence.
This cusp between ease and anticipation is where the world often demands more than we feel ready to give.
But coming back into routine doesn’t have to mean abandoning what steadied you.
The invitation is simply to notice:
What shifted for you?
Where did your attention go?
What do you want to carry forward?
In the post-storm quiet, after visitors have gone, the air feels sharper.
That blend of anticipation and nostalgia finds its way into the body what you might once have called butterflies. The kind you felt on the first day of school.
A storm can sweep summer away in a night.
But the return to steadiness, to rhythm, to yourself comes more gradually.
One breath, one choice at a time.
A Practice for Return
In my work with clients, and in my own life, I’ve found that re-entry feels most sustainable when it starts small.
Not with big plans or rigid rules,
but with a rhythm restored.
A moment reclaimed.
A ritual that reminds you: you're allowed to take your time.
Five Ways to Re-Enter Routine (Without Rushing Yourself)
For when you feel like you're spiraling, speeding, or struggling to land.
01. Walk Like You Mean It
Even just around the block. Even just to get the mail.
Walk instead of ordering lunch to your desk.
Count your steps if you want. Or don’t.
Feel them. Notice your breath. Take in your environment.
What feels different today than it did this summer?
Walk slowly. Walk briskly. Walk with intention.
Let your body lead and your mind drift until you're ready to return to what’s next.
This isn’t movement for exercise.
It’s movement for grounding.
02. Centering with scent
Scent pulls us back to time, to place, to memory.
What scent feels like fall. A spice. A wool sweater. A favorite tea.
As someone more often than not searching for calmI lean into Beau Perfume Oil
But with the shift into autumn and the need for more focus, warmth, and clarity: Calor becomes my go to.
What’s yours? Name it. Reach for it.
Let scent guide you back to now.week or next month.
You’re here.
03. Get Tactile
Hold an ice cube. Run cool water over your hands.
Touch a stone. A button. A pen. The edge of your sleeve.
Notice the texture before you name it.
Let sensation bring you back to where you are.
04. Do Something Familiar
Wipe down the counter. Fold a shirt. Handwash your delicates.
Whatever the task, do it with presence.
Narrate it in your head as if you’re giving someone else directions.
Let the muscle memory calm you.
Re-entry doesn’t have to be dramatic.
It just has to start.
05. Your Favorite Three
When you're overwhelmed or on autopilot, pause.
Name three favorite trees.
Three favorite meals.
Three favorite places your feet have touched the ground.
Three things you love about fall.
Favorites bring you back to you,
not the version of you the calendar expects.
Not every season starts with thunder. But no doubt, a new season has begun.
A gift for the Basium community:
Receive 20% off The Habit of Becoming You . An 8-week guided seasonal companion rooted in ritual, and reflection. Not a course. Not just a journal. A space to come back to who you are and to move through what’s next.
Explore the experience here → The Habit of Becoming You
Use this private link to join with your Basium gift — the discount is already applied.
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