Fall is my favorite time of year

Friday, August 3, 2012

We’re into August now, which means many things. The school year is fast approaching, football season is nearly here, the Canfield Fair is on its way and my first family vacation is fewer than 90 days away.

This is the time of year when many of the summer activities start wrapping up and we prepare for the fall season. We’ve already registered our girls for dance class, started prepping for the school year I’ve been in Fantasy Football mode for weeks. It’s really my favorite time of year.

The weather starts to get cooler, mowing the grass becomes less frequent and the amount of weekend parties and reunions starts to slow down. I don’t even mind the falling of the leaves because we only have one large tree in the front that sheds its leaves. The rest of our trees are pine, except the apple trees in the back, but those leaves aren’t bothersome.

I’m sure for most of you, summer is your favorite season. I can understand why - the weather is warm (really warm some days), it stays light longer and there are so many activities going on. I don’t mind the summer, but I get hot so easily, so I hate when I sweat through two shirts a day.

Football is clearly one of my favorite things about fall. This year, the NFL will offer a Thursday night game every week. That means that there will be football games for viewing on Thursdays (NFL), Friday (high school), Saturday (college), Sunday (NFL) and Monday (NFL). That’s five days a week!

There’s nothing better than coming home from church on Sunday afternoon, getting some lunch and retreating to in front of the television for a day and night of football. I try not to totally ignore my family (that’s what halftime is for), because Sundays are the only full day we’re all there together.

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Since I’m not one to enjoy controversy, I was trying not to weigh in on this fiasco with Chick-fil-A that has dominated the news this past week. I love the food at Chick-fil-A (it’s actual chicken) and the staff is always courteous (“My pleasure”). The combination of those two things and the fact that it’s way better than feeding my kids Happy Meals (they’ve never had one), keeps me going back there.

My quick stance on this situation is this: We’re all entitled to voice our opinions if we choose. When we do, we should know that other people will respond to our viewpoints, both positively and negatively.

The owner of CFA has the right to run his business the way he sees fit. If he wants to close on Sundays (or Wednesdays or whenever), so be it. Businesses make decisions all the time — some unpopular, some not.

But here’s the thing — we all have our own choices to make. If someone doesn’t like the viewpoint of the owner so much that it deters them from eating there, then go somewhere else. Likewise, if you eat there because you like the food, keep ordering.