📷 An Eye for Life #16 9️⃣ la rentrée

not quite autumn, nor is it summer. It’s touted almost globally as ‘back to school time’ but for those of us who are single without children or no longer in university, it’s just another month. It might be a return to work after being on vacation all month if you’re European but in the USA, that’s not as common. It’s the beginning of pumpkin spice season for those who love the trend and for those that don’t, it’s just a month closer to that time where we’re able to have a slice of pumpkin pie for breakfast after Thanksgiving 😉 I adore the French term for September: la rentrée. A phrase that can’t really be translated, it’s widely used in my Francophile circles because it so well encompasses the vibe of this month.

September is also a big deal for hot air balloon enthusiasts in the USA where from the Adirondacks to Reno, hot air balloon festivals occur all month long and into October. It’s why I’ve thinking back on all of the experiences I’ve had in a hot air balloon around the world and felt compelled to share a look at them via this photo essay.

Subtly pink sunrise light, filtered through a hazy sky, softened the scene and gently illuminated a dazzle of zebras who grazed between broccoli-shaped trees in grass like spun gold. [Tanzania, pictured above]

One of India’s first, and one of the only, female hot air balloon pilots guided us over rivers still and reflective as glass that wove their way through seemingly-endless stretches of palm trees while fog married with smoke from fires lent the landscape an even more dreamlike quality. Dulling the edges and sharpening the vista’s center. [Goa]

The earth from above while I’ve been in a hot air balloon has always seemed almost devoid of conflict. Perfect, full of idealized beauty. And yet not in any of the ways which, when we idealize beauty, cause harm. I think I’ve always loved being in a hot air balloon because it feels like the closest a human being can get to being a bird. And I’ve often envied birds. It’s so quiet. So thrilling even though it’s so slow at the same time.

DYK that a hot-air balloon is called an aerostat? More terminology, here.

And finally, September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the first step in helping prevent suicide is being aware of the signs and mindful of how we treat others. I find TWLOHA and NAMI to be solid resources and echo this paragraph from NAMI’s site as someone who has personally attempted, but survived, suicide.

If you’re reading this from outside the USA and have international resources to recommend, or if you have other USA resources to recommend, please hit reply and let me know. I can share them in the next issue to help all in this community who might need the information. And thank you for caring about this issue ❤️

Do you watch Ted Lasso? Hit reply and let’s chat about it, if you do!

about People: by educating ourselves on what Hawai'i residents really want from visitors. Start with the breakdown at the end of the latest issue of The Statesider and then read this piece on AFAR. And yes, I was on O'ahu in early summer. I probably wouldn’t make that same choice, now. Join the fight against what’s happening to healthcare in the USA for women, low-income, trans, rape and incest survivors by donating to or getting involved with:

about Planet: Sign up and get this guide with 26 tried-and-true ways to do your part for the climate or be among the first to receive your own Futurescore and get personalized recommendations to lower your carbon footprint. Subscribe with me to Tomorrow’s Air so we can clean carbon from the atmosphere together. Or join me in planting our change.

this Vancouver flashback I recently posted. If you’re able to safely visit, here’s my City Guide to help you make the most of it.

Tofa soifua! Merci for reading. I hope to see you back here in two weeks for the 17th edition of An Eye for Life. 💛 ✨

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