It’s been a long summer, away from my family and friends for five months straight. Whilst I did get to see my wife and son briefly during this period, there are some people I haven’t seen at all, and some I fear I may never see again. This summer has been an exceptional experience for me, both personally and for my career, but it’s time I returned home. In just a few weeks, I’ll be back in my house in New Jersey, far from the bright sun of California and entering the decay of autumn that I love so much—the colors of trees, the darkening of days, and the cooling of the air. I’m glad, in a way, to have missed New Jersey’s typically hot and humid summer, but I’m very much looking forward to being home.

Along with this, I feel like it’s time to renew some commitments that I’ve been breaking, on and off, for a long time. There are things I’ve been meaning to do all year and have neglected, and other things I haven’t been able to do because of my absence from home. In that regard, I’d like to note down some of the things I want to continue to, or start doing, as I pass through autumn and into winter.

1. Keep writing. I’ve actually been able to write a phenomenal amount this summer, both for this blog and for The Redemption of Erâth, though not nearly as much as I would have liked. I hacked out 20,000 words last weekend, and though I doubt I’ll do that again this weekend coming, it feels great to be coming so close to the end of the third book. This is something that I often fail to continue doing in autumn, so I really want to make sure that I keep going with the pace that I’ve set for myself.
2. Keep reading. I’ve started reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings, and it’s interesting, if a little clichéd (so far). I want to keep reading it, and keep reading other books too. This is something I’ve been neglecting for decades, and I mean to start again.
3. Keep taking my medication. This is really important. Last autumn I went off my meds, and nearly ended up killing myself. I can’t afford to do that again, for myself or for my family. I must—must—keep taking them, every day, without fail.
4. Support my family. Hopefully the act of taking my medication will help me begin to support my family better, who’ve been patiently waiting for me to return from California for over five months. I need to be kinder to my wife, more present for my son, and take better care of our house and home. This is important to me, and to them. I need to be better.
5. Pursue my career ambitions at work. One of the biggest failings I have at work is forgetting to make the contacts, speak to the people, and achieve the goals I need in order to get to where I want to be. Being in California has been hugely impactful for me in this area, and I want to take that ambition with me when I return to New Jersey.

What commitments are you making for the autumn? What do you want to do as the year ends itself?