Summer begins when wet footprints are tracked through the house and beach sand takes up permanent residence on the car floor. Summer is swimming for hours on end, eating soft-serve ice cream for dinner, and dressing in t-shirts and flip flops without a care. Summer is a sun-kissed afternoon spent picnicking in the park at an outdoor concert. It’s when you can pick fruits and vegetables straight from the vine and eat every meal outdoors. Summer is sleeping under the stars after you’ve caught a jar full of fireflies. It’s when you’ve ditched the cell phone in favor of a game of catch out on the lawn. Summer is finding a patch of shade to spread out a blanket and read until the sun melts into twilight.
When my family and I moved to New Hampshire, we bought a piece of land where we could spread out and enjoy a little privacy. We chose to simplify our lives – less noise, less hassle, less have to’s. And although I admit that it's not always been easy, we’ve come to appreciate the kind of small town living where we actually take the time to slow down and look around. And I take full advantage of this as soon as my girls are out of school in mid-June. We embrace the time we have freed from the strict schedules we adhere to the rest of the year. There are no bells ringing and no clocks ticking. This is our time to reconnect with each other and ourselves.
As summer marches forward, I let each day lead the way not knowing where it will take me. Time seems to shift, and a gradual, slowing rhythm casually unfolds. I love days when the biggest decision I have to make is to determine how long I will stay at the beach. I watch the sun rise and set. And I love the nights that seem to stretch on for infinity, quiet and still – the only movement, a shooting star. I am more relaxed and at peace.
I can never fully explain the balance living in the moment restores to my life. And when it comes to an end, I try to take summer with me. I hold it close to my heart in hopes that the memories will sustain me.
George Gershwin wrote, “summertime and the livin’ is easy”. It should be. May summer last a hundred years.
Photo: countryliving.com
2 comments:
Loved this post...thank you....I wish, at times, we lived in the small town environment...where we could walk to town...where life slowed down.
Last summer I was home with my girls and while it was hard at first, in the end, I enjoyed it immensly. This summer I'm working and I'm already lamenting it.
Life is too short. Lovely post.
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