Why does it always seem like August is the month of change? It used to mean new lunchboxes and backpacks for the first day of school, new teachers and bus routes and school shopping trips with Mom. August was always a sign that summer was about to let go of its tenacious hold; a warning that the aroma of burning leaves would soon fill the crisp air. I never truly enjoyed August because, as my friend Angela so eloquently put it "It's like a long Sunday." It's so true, if you think about it. August only slowly stalls the inevitable from happening. When we were little, eventually we would all be back on the bus riding to school, we would have homework and projects dutifully doodled in our assignment pads.

But most of the time, come September, we realized that change could, in fact, be good. Maybe fifth grade would be more interesting than fourth grade. Maybe my Care Bears lunchbox would reap more compliments than my Strawberry Shortcake one. Maybe I would have fun at the middle school dance that I wasn't old enough to attend the previous year.

Today was full of change...not for me, but for a few of my close friends. I want to write about them on here but they aren't my stories to tell. All I can say is that their changes encompass three of the major milestones we all encounter in life at some point or another: birth, career and death. My thoughts are with Heather right now and I know she will have a beautiful baby girl within the next twelve hours or so. I'm not going to mention the next person's name just yet but they know who they are--many congratulations and best wishes to you...and Megan, I hope the past few days have gone as smoothly as they could have considering the circumstances.

I just realized that this is starting to sound like a personal email, but I couldn't help but notice the common link between all of the changes I discovered today. I felt like I should document them. We are always making choices to propel ourselves forward. We choose to become parents, we choose which direction we want our career to take if we are no longer satisfied, and although we don't choose to die, the choices that we make during life certainly define us at the end of our days. I can only hope that I make the right choices. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about every aspect of my life, and knowing that I've done the best that I can so far helps to keep me grounded.

I used to think of September as the first month of the year because it was the first month of the school calendar. I'm going to wipe my slate clean and pretend that September is New Year's this year as well. Watch for a very positive, goal-oriented Tara in the coming months. You won't be disappointed.