By Howie Silver
Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
So begins the wonderful song “Try to Remember,” from the musical The Fantasticks, which premiered in 1960 and had over 21,000 off-Broadway performances. It was written by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. It was sung in that premiere by Jerry Orbach (yes, the same Jerry Orbach who played crusty Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law and Order.) The song is nostalgic and romantic and reflects the changes of life and love and the passing of time.
September is an interesting, transition month. It starts as the end of summer and ends as the start of fall. It is called the Harvest Month, since so many crops are ready for harvest. Curiously September is the ninth month of the year and has nine letters; it is the only month with this (admittedly trivial) property. And September 22 is the fall equinox when the day and night are both equal in length, about 12 hours.
September has a goodly number of special (and silly) national days: September 1 is Labor Day; September 4 is Macadamia Nut Day; September 5 is Cheese Pizza Day;
September 7 is Beer Lovers Day; September 8 is Star Trek Day; September 11 is Patriot’s Day; September 12 is Chocolate Milkshake Day; September 13 is Bald Is Beautiful Day (my personal favorite); September 15 is Double Cheeseburger Day; September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day; September 21 is Wife Appreciation Day; September 22 is Ice Cream Cone Day; September 25 is Daughter’s Day; September 29 is Chocolate Milk Day; and September 30 is Chewing Gum Day.
September is a time of change, the transition from summer to fall. So, what can we do in the special time? My suggestion is to stay active physically. Go for a daily walk. When the October rain starts, go to the YMCA or walk at an indoor mall. Watch and do yoga or tai chi on DVDs or on YouTube or at the YMCA or health club. Do water aerobics at an indoor pool. Just do it (to steal a phrase).
Just as important is to stay active mentally. Read books, fiction or non-fiction. Read magazines and newspapers (if they still exist). Watch TED lectures on YouTube. My personal favorite is to take courses: in-person, online, or a hybrid combination. There are many options: The Great Courses series has lots of courses online or in DVD format. BabyBoomer.org has many articles, podcasts, and books, all aimed at seniors. Also, there is the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the UW that offers courses, study groups, and special events.
My personal bias is for the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), since I have taken courses there for 10 years and taught there for 8 years. When I mentioned CRI to a retired professor in the Chicago area, she said, “That sounds so West Coast.” I suppose it might be somewhat unique to California and the Pacific Northwest. Whether or not it’s truly unique to the West Coast, it is definitely a part of our intellectual DNA. We want to keep learning into our retirement years.
So even for those of us in the autumn of our years, fall and a new school year can still mean a starting over. Perhaps an intellectual rebirth. It can mean learning (or relearning) new ideas. Most likely, we don’t want to take courses at a local university or community college with students our grandchildren’s age, cram for quizzes and tests, and write papers.
Personally, I wanted to learn and be stimulated again. I discovered the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), a lifelong- learning program at Edmonds College that has been around now for over 30 years. It offers short non-credit, college-level courses at a modest cost. The courses meet once a week and are between one and four weeks long.
These programs have none of the things you hated about school: no term papers, no quizzes or examinations, no oral reports, no grades, no $200 books to buy, and no pressure. Just learning and meeting like-minded, curious seniors. Basically, all the laughs and none of the tears.
The Fall Term at CRI has about 49 classes to choose from and has just started. The courses are taught by instructors very well-versed in the topics that they are teaching. Many are retired college professors, and all of them bring extensive personal and professional expertise as well as enthusiasm for their topic. Most of the CRI courses are taught in person in small classrooms, while some of the classes are taught online using the Zoom platform. The courses starting in late September are all fascinating.
For film and music lovers, there are courses on Beyond the Narrative: When Score Tells the Story; The World is Cursed: Anti-War Messaging in Studio Ghibli Films; Understanding Cinema: Movies, Meaning, and Culture; Bach in Leipzig: The First Cantata Cycle Part III; Composers Behaving Badly; Miles and Trane at 100.
For history and current-events buffs, there are courses on Along the Danube: Eastern Europe Today – Its History, Culture, and Politics; And Behold, a Pale Horse! The Western in American Life; A Swift Survey of American History: Land of Raven, Coyote, and Corn Maiden; A Swift Survey of American History: Colonial Roots 1500s and 1600s; Iona: An Archaeological and Oral History; Folk Belief, Ritual, and Celebration; International Development and Soft Power: Accomplishments, Recent Demise, and the Future; The Peopling of the Americas: Life in the Stone Age; Royal Jewels: Power, Politics, and the Stories Behind the Crown; UNESCO World Heritage Site Program; U.S. History: From Sea to Shining Sea; Climate Change Denial; Evidence- Based Hope: Good News About the Environment.
For nature lovers, there are courses on Fall Native Plants and Wild Edibles and Plant Medicine; Geology of the National Parks I; Natural Wonders in and Around Edmonds; Wolves: They’re Back. Some Are Endangered. All Are Resilient.
If you’re into art and architecture, there are course Carving a Life: Women Sculptors; Chateaux of the Loire Valley; Defining “Mid-Century Modern” Design Part II; The High Renaissance in Rome: Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael; Rebels in Frock Coats: Impressionism to Fauvism; Victorian Weirdness.
If literature and drama are your thing, there are courses on Beowulf: The Old English Epic; Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Poetry of Presence; CRI’s Expanded Book Discussion Group; Walt Whitman’s Poetry of Abundance; The World Within: Victorian Women Poets.
There are courses in health and science: The 7 Pillars of Aging: The Biology of Growing Old; Viruses, Vaccines, Antivirals…Oh My!; Windows of Joy: Creative Engagement with
Dementia; Treatments for Depression; Exploring Our Sense of Smell and Fragrance; Spirituality Across the Lifespan.
And finally, there are courses on special topics and personal interest: Easing into Artificial Intelligence (AI); Best Party Games Ever!; Command Your Clutter; Freewriting Workshop.
If you are not familiar with CRI, here’s your chance to have an intellectually stimulating, delightful time that will keep your mind from growing old. I’ll be there. See you there. September is a great month to remember your love of learning and meet new people.
Registration for the Fall 2026 Term at the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) of Edmonds College has begun. The full list of classes, their times, dates, instructors, and complete descriptions can be found at www.edmonds.edu/cri . [At the website, click VIEW CLASSES; then click on FALL 2026 — Register today.]
