Sabiya Kathiria Week 13: October

October.


I live the other eleven months in anticipation.


I tolerate the rainy winter months, welcome spring’s mild sunshine, and enjoy summer in quiet patience for the month that really matters: October. October is tank tops layered under jackets, fights with friends over group Halloween costumes, football games on Fridays, and using bits of free time to skim stores for homecoming dresses. I live for October, that brief period where the school year is new enough to be exciting but old enough to allow for a settled routine with new friends and classmates. Classes are getting harder but not so much that you pull all-nighters. No hard tests; teachers still provide a relaxed workload. The weather’s cooling down so it’s not summer-hot but not raining yet either. There’s Halloween and Spirt Week and Homecoming and I could go on and on but the main point is that October is a point of perfect balance. It’s a balance so delicate that it tips the second the year shifts into November or rewinds into September. 


So many of my best memories have happened during or around October: big group hangouts in Freshman year, girls' nights in Sophomore year, and rushed last-minute plans in Junior year. I plan out Halloween costumes with my best friends months in advance just for them to descend into chaos every year no matter what, like clockwork. I go homecoming dress shopping with my mom in September but always end up with a last-minute dress. I buy Indian clothes in preparation for my friend’s birthday party and Garba only to re-wear an old dress because I ultimately liked it better. And guess what? I love it. I love the frenzy, the chaos, the excitement that comes with October. It’s tradition, a way to honor old memories. 


October is more than a label for 31 days out of the year. It is a symbol of my nostalgia for the small happy moments of life. Yes, part of it is nostalgia for the big group outings or events of the year, but it’s also the random after-school hangouts and late-night walks. The tenth month of the year is when life is best. It is the month that makes life worth living. It is the month I miss and reminisce the most. My memories have piled up in the short 31 days that October offers. They overlap as I look through the old photos and read the texts with my friends. They coalesce to form a blurred, perfect aesthetic of a month I never fail to cherish every year.


Comments

  1. NishithaMarch 26, 2025 at 8:51 AM

    Hi Sabiya! Your blog very beautifully showed how October is more than just a month for you, and your descriptions of it being a feeling, a sense of balance, and nostalgia were all very lyrical. I really related to your description of October being this fleeting but perfect balance before the chaos of the school year. I also loved the personal anecdotes that you added in your writing–like your reworn Indian outfits or last-minute homecoming dresses–and I thought that they added a very genuine touch to your blog. I also really admired how you connected your writing to the theme of nostalgia, and how you expressed that October isn’t just about the momentous moments, but also the small, seemingly insignificant ones. The way you described how your memories are layering on top of each other was particularly interesting to me, and I definitely relate to seeing memories as a collection of feelings or experiences instead of singular instances. Your blog was so beautifully written, and I absolutely loved reading it!

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  2. Durga KurupathMarch 26, 2025 at 2:56 PM

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  3. Durga KurupathMarch 26, 2025 at 2:58 PM

    Hey Sabiya! This is such a cute topic! October is definitely a time of comfort. To some, it means pumpkin spice lattes and cardigans, and to others it's embracing the full spooky season! I agree with your love for October for the same reason. The vibes are always nice because it's just the right amount of chilly weather paired with mismatched, crunchy leaves. It's like a breath of fresh air in the year and it never gets boring. Every Halloween, I'd always do the most drastic costumes and it's so fun to look back on those funny memories and appreciate all the times I had with my friends and family too. Just like December, there's always so much to do! Especially in our school, just like you said, it's almost like ALL the events are happening around that time. It's like a transition period into the rest of a crappy school year (no offense). Your personal experiences featured in this blog really made it intriguing, though. The way you describe all your joyous moments made me smile and feel like I was living through it too! This post is for sure refreshing. Can't wait to read next week's blog!

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  4. Nichelle RodriguezMarch 26, 2025 at 8:15 PM

    Hi Sabiya! I loved how you wrote this week's blog. Your had conveyed just that warm, fuzzy feeling that you had attributed to October. I, too, have always had a soft spot for October, which is always the last warmth before the harsh cold that November brings. October is always full of liveliness, full of a bunch of highschoolers really embracing their youth. I really have always felt that October is the month when high school embodies a form closest to the way it is in movies; full of football games, school dances, and coffee-driven study sessions. Thank you so much for sharing!

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