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Summer’s Knocking on the Door

Posted in: Blog by admin on September 23, 2010

5.20.10

Even though the word summer carries images of carefree, ideal, peaceful times, there is an inherent pressure that comes along with that word, with the concept of summer, as well.

This is the time to get stuff done. To enjoy your children. To be free. To read all of those books you have set aside over the cold, winter months. To finally organize your photo albums and closets and lives.

I am excited for summer. But, I do feel the pressure that those three little months subtly put on me, as well. What am I going to accomplish? How many books am I going to devour? What great places am I going to visit?

And, I’m thinking … What do I want to do this summer?

I want to enjoy the warmth and the lake and the trees. I want to feel free. I want to float on a raft. I want to breathe deeply. I want to read a lot. I want to get letters from my boy who is going away for all eight weeks, and I want the letters to be full of excitement and adventure.

I want my girls to laugh and love camp and enjoy the beach.

All of that would be wonderful and idyllic, but what would I have “done?” All of these thoughts of floating and smiling and laughing, and I haven’t even organized a closet in my mind yet?

How do we measure a successful summer? How do we decipher accomplishments? What does it take to have a great summer? What are the goals therein? Do we want to be altruistic while we finally have a chunk of free time? Or is this the season for a little selfishness?

I know I want to find some part-time work, and I want to write and read and know my children are happy. And, as much as I am eager to organize, I don’t want to waste the few weeks of nice weather we Chicagoans enjoy by sitting on my closet floor.

A few nights ago, Emily wanted to read with me, and I jokingly said, “not now, I have something else really important to do. I want to organize my sock drawer.” She nervously laughed and said, “You’re kidding, right?” Of course, I tickled her and told her I was joking. But, the truth is, I do figuratively get caught up in cleaning out my sock drawer. I spend so much time organizing the house, the backpacks, the lunches, the homework, the shopping lists, the photo albums, the closets.

With summer lurking just around the corner, it’s that time to evaluate what we want to accomplish. But, now I’m realizing that we often get so lost in these accomplishments that we forget to take the time to just be. We are so consumed with all that we want to get done, we forget the importance of doing nothing.

To just breathe.

To just float.

Modest Mouse sings it perfectly, “Don’t worry, we’ll all float on. Even if things get heavy, we’ll all float on.”

I think my goal this summer is simply to forget the heaviness of winter and simply float on this summer … On a raft, in my mind, with my kids.

Even if my socks are all disorganized.



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