Well, this may be a little premature to say this fine mid-August day but according to everyone on the street - it might as well be over. It seems most of us are feeling the super-speed at which the summer has passed. I am pretty sure that we all say it every year, how fast the summer has gone by, but it does seem to get incrementally quicker with each passing year. It must have something to do with – ugghh – our age.
Only a handful of weeks ago the summer laid ahead with all of its wondrous possibilities. The summer - at the end of June, not to be confused with the summer nearing the end of August - held endless potential. There were going to be regular trips to the beach; my entire house was to be de-cluttered; the children were going to keep up with their reading and writing; Eric and I were going to sit on our back deck more; I was going to actually play tennis instead of just making a donation to the tennis club; my son was going to golf regularly. I think a sufficient picture of wasted opportunity has been painted.
A small sense of panic has set in to make the most of the last remaining weeks. I am not sure we have had enough family time. Yet, as soon as were all together for any length of meaningful time, we are certain we have. I am not sure whether the kids have had sufficient ‘down-time’. You know, that elusive creative time you envision the kids having-making interesting discoveries and learning who they really are. Well, there were no creative, or otherwise, breakthroughs but there was certainly time for them to tell me that they were bored enough times.
I don’t think the summer we create in our minds during those first long days ever really comes to fruition. And maybe our best laid plans wouldn’t have been so great anyway. In spite of missed time to tutor the kids (which really sounds like a terrible idea when said aloud), book shelves and closets that are busting with clutter and too few tennis and golf games; this summer has been a great summer . There have been late nights in the backyard with the kids playing with friends and walks into town-enjoying our city. There have been movie nights and date nights and nights with nothing at all. And we still have the last few weeks of summer which are sometimes the sweetest of all.
So, so long endless summer days when the kids would not go to bed before 10pm and so long humidity. So long to sun-screening uncooperative children and wondering whether or not to turn on the A/C. So long to questioning if I am making the most of the summer and hello to just enjoying what is left. There is no point in mourning what is already lost - time to just enjoy the present. August sometimes offers the best of summer with warm days and cool nights – the ones that secretly make you excited for Fall’s arrival.
Yes, the summer has gone by quickly but it seems all time goes by quickly now; which is why we best just enjoy each day as it comes.
