In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker, in an attempt to cheer up her friend, Daisy, on the hottest day of the summer, says, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

It’s a relatable statement, because as residents of Southern California, summer and spring come with increasingly sweltering temperatures that often bleed into winter and fall. We become so used to the daily record highs and unabating sunshine that we forget that our annual reprieve from the heat is autumn.

Sept. 22, the first day of fall, marked the point at which the sun crossed south over the celestial equator, putting day and night in equilibrium.

Less scientifically, the change of seasons also signals lit fireplaces; pumpkin spice and cinnamon-flavored drinks on cafe menus; layering jackets atop flannels and long sleeves; jack-o-lanterns on doorsteps; and loved one’s hands clasped at Thanksgiving dinner tables. 

Most of all, autumn, as Fitzgerald wrote, renews us. This season prioritizes comfort — warm lattes and the soft fabrics of hoodies and fleece blankets become part of our daily routines.

We experience comfort in community through cold-weather activities popular in the fall — couples populate pumpkin patches; families crowd holiday gatherings; friends bake pumpkin bread in laughter- and music-filled kitchens; teens huddle under stadium lights at Friday night football games. 

What we lose in the dip in temperature, we gain in time with each other.

The imagery of yellow and orange leaves and rainy days are so often romanticized by the East Coast, where temperatures are lower and the trees are more colorful, but fall in the West also has distinctive charms. 

We enjoy iced pumpkin spice lattes on warmer autumn days, short sleeves stay in rotation, and we can drive to nearby beaches. 

It’s the best of both worlds as we’re still able to indulge in the season through the fall colors lining Target shelves and the chilled air against our faces as we walk across campus. 

Still, the rejuvenation of fall extends past the aesthetics — it’s the perfect time to read, or to hike, or to join friends during Homecoming week, or to spend time with family during the holidays. 

We need to take advantage of the dropping temperature — mornings in the mid-50s this week and next — and appreciate this change of seasons, this opportunity to slow down from the fast-paced summer and a break from triple-digit temps. 

Autumn, after all, is an opportunity to feel like life has started “all over again.”