Slowing Down Summer
Soaking in all the adventures coupled with a little rest
Oddly enough, I think summer is ripe for slowing down. Sure, there are lots of things to do, and I want to do them all. (“There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation…The annual problem, for our generation, is finding a good way to spend it.”) I have already done many things. I’ve gone to the zoo and camping and on hikes and on bike rides. I am going camping again next weekend, and there are many more bike rides and hikes to come. However, there’s something slow about summer too.
I think this stems from my mom being home with us all summer. Suddenly, we didn’t have to wake up, get ready, or run errands on a timeline. We weren’t rushing home to finish homework, eat dinner, and go to bed. We leisurely snacked most of the day instead of eating three meals. We spent our time at the pool, beach, park, or library reading books, playing, soaking up the sun. If something needed to be done or there was something we wanted to do, it didn’t have to happen until later in the day when we were feeling up to it, when working people were scarce.
This is not always true as a working adult. I still have a job to show up to for the majority of the day, Sunday through Thursday. I do have a lovely summer schedule that affords me more time (and less money, thank goodness for free parks) during these warmer months. This schedule will allow me to do all the adventurous things, but the part that we often miss is the fact that sometimes you don’t want to adventure. Sometimes, after a long week at work, or even just a normal week, you want to sit on the couch and watch TV or read a book cozied up inside. Yet, during these months, I feel guilty for not using all the nice days to my advantage when I know January will come around again.
One day, I’ll stop writing into the seasons and tell you why I hate both the over- and underuse of commas, but today is not that day. It feels important to write into these seasons, both of life and literally. Not only does it capture where I am in this moment, but it reminds me to stay present. By slowing down in the summer months, I allow myself to absorb the summer sun. I let my skin feel warm with the heat of the day and sticky when I’m doing anything active. I let my hair do whatever it wants with the humidity and sweat. That means staying inside sometimes, observing the summer happening from inside where you can see the birds at the bird feeder and the wind blow through the trees, but you’re hydrated and rested.
It’s hard to enjoy all of summer without a little work and a little rest. There’s a reason people take siestas during the hottest part of the day. There’s a reason it feels all the more special to go to a baseball game after a full day of work. There’s a reason sitting on the porch and simply existing in the sun or sitting on the couch with the windows open is enough. Summer is a good kind of tired; the opposite of winter’s sluggish, I haven’t even done anything, and I’m exhausted. Summer means being tired from being under the sun, being tired because you adventured. We just have to match that with rest too.
Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T.
Reading: Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve picked up a book this week. It’s been a very slow couple of reading months.
Eating: Chocolate pudding pie!
As someone who likes to bake, there’s a choice to be made between making a fun, new dessert for your birthday and having a nostalgic choice. This year, I went for the nostalgic choice.
Playing: If you like games and are looking for a two-player game, A Little Wordy has been a hit with several people lately.
Obsessing: Finding strawberries!
It’s strawberry season, and it’s time to find the best ones for snacking and pie-making.
Recommending: If you have friends who have the same artsy or productive hobbies that you do, having them hold you accountable is a game-changer.
Treating: Nice olive oil and balsamic glaze
I’ve been craving really good bread and something to dip it in that’s simple and delicious.
That’s all she wrote…
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