AUGUST ALERT: CHECK OFF YOUR SUMMER SPORTS AND RECREATION TO-DO LIST BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
Traditionally, summer hinges on three months: June, July and August. (Arguably this too changes along with the climate, but here we are for now. And here, too, we find the growing popularity of Staycations.)
In Vermont we often say that summer begins with the 4th of July and then all of a sudden it’s gone. We wait and wait for the snow to melt into mud season in the spring and then almost miss the longest day of the year in June.
August is a month of vacations that have been saved for last, a month of summer sports team finals, a month of lazy afternoons, cool nights, fireflies and T-storms. It is also a month when I walk my dog in the predawn darkness and am surprised to find the wooded trails closing in well before an earlier sunset. It is a time of growing anticipation for the back to school crowd and an almost panicked dash to fit in that paddle, climb, swim, century or rail trail that seemed a sure thing in May.
But, please, stop. Take a deep breath. You’ve got this. If you find yourself treading water, get swimming! August is dignified. It does not push us into a frenzy. But it says, if you want to do ______________, get organized and just do it. July suggests an infinite number of minutes and even hours. August says, “not so.” But August is not stingy. The daylight and conditions beckon and sustain.
I don’t know about you, but I so love the summer season that I think I wait all year for it to arrive. Partway through I find myself anxious that it is passing me by.
This morning at our local farmers’ market I noted the abundance of richly beautiful vegetables and flowers as well as the long lines of shoppers (rivaling a Manhattan Starbuck’s!) eagerly gathering proof of the summer harvest season. OK, that’s good. That’s something that is better than July.
Last night I slept with my windows wide open but had to put on a sweatshirt and snuggle under a comforter. OK, that’s good. That’s something that is better than July.
Tomorrow I will hike with Sophie, my Chocolate Lab, but I don’t need to leave so very early to be sure she is done before it gets too hot. OK, that’s good. That’s something that is better than July.
This afternoon as I walked a country road giving my pup and me a quiet day sandwiched between last week and next, I deliberately looked for signs of change. The grasses are more lush, goldenrod is beginning to burst forth, and soon enough the fields of corn will produce sweet ears to savor. OK, that’s good. That’s something that is better than July.
August was so named in 8 BC because of Augustus Ceasar. But I prefer to consider a few words from the definition of the word itself: respected, celebrated, honored. Don’t you agree that to respect this month, to celebrate each day’s opportunity, and to honor our well-being and those with whom we share space – that these might be better concepts to apply to this fruitful month? And, perhaps now, today, not tomorrow or next week, is the very time to take a second look at how we are living our own uniquely individual summer experiences. Avoid regrets, drop everything you can, and indulge in the season. Happy August.