How to make it feel like fall in Macon
Image: Mary Helene Hall
Archived photo from October 26, 2019
Each student at Mercer is probably familiar with brochures that boast the glorious autumns of Macon. With the red-bricked buildings blending beautifully with the surrounding orange leaves and the happy students meandering campus in their boots and cardigans, it all seems too good to be true… Well, it just may be.
Yep. The weather is bouncing between 80 and 40 degrees almost on a daily basis. Macon has completely forgotten our beloved cozy season and has jumped straight from summer to winter. What’s the deal? Did Mother Nature not get the memo that Labor Day has come and gone? Even though the weather may be confused, we Bears are not. We want fall!
Don’t you worry, Mercerians. The Cluster has your back with some tips on how to make it feel more like fall until it actually does.
Attempt to intimidate a tree.
As you stroll to class drenched in sweat and humidity or shivering in the sudden cold, take a moment to stare at some trees, attempting to frighten them into changing the color of their leaves. Be careful, though: if you give them a mean enough look, they might just lose all of them!
If that doesn’t work, just bust out the paint.
Show those stubborn trees what Mercer spirit really is and purchase some orange paint from your nearest retailer.
Consume at least one pumpkin spiced good per day.
It’s scientifically proven: a pumpkin a day keeps the summer away. Why else do you think Starbucks started serving this sweet treat so early?
Set your clock back early.
November 3 is just around the corner, and it cannot come fast enough. Why not jump the gun and start your day a little earlier now? It’s chilly in the mornings, after all, so you’ll have an extra hour of fall temperatures!
Tell your phone that you’re in any city north of Macon.
Sure, it’s not exactly admirable to tell a lie, but at the very least, it will offer at least a moment of bliss each morning when you check your phone to look at the weather. Of course, that only lasts until you leave your room.
Pretend to actually enjoy the warm weather.
It’s glaringly obvious that the weather is only acting like this to spite us. If we all go outside throughout the day and dramatically sigh, “Oh, how I wish the temperature would be normal for once!” then maybe, just maybe, the trees will believe us.

Mary Helene Hall is a sophomore majoring in journalism. She is a Presidential Media Change Maker Scholar who has worked consistently for The Cluster...
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