A Note For Summer
Well, we’ve cycled back around to the first day of school. We’ve wrapped up August and set it aside for next year, many of us dreading the seasonal switch from long days outdoors to homework at the kitchen table. It’s been over two years since I finished grad school, and I still can’t shake the mental separation of summer from the school year. Whether that particular delineation resonates with you or not, there is transition in the air. Summer is a carefree season. It seems that all it takes is a little sun to awaken our more playful sides. Want to stay out later? Take a spontaneous day trip? Clock out early on a Friday? After all, why not? We can afford to live a little for three short months, as long as we know that the grind is looming just around the corner.
But what if Fall isn’t an impending damper on our fun? What if it is just another season? It may seem bland at first glance, but removing the climactic tone from summer’s end could be a small way to pace ourselves more peacefully.
As someone who is going through a lot of change, this mindset started as a coping mechanism. As my calendar has filled up, I’ve had to adjust my approach to upcoming tasks. Even as I write this, I feel the weight of next week and all it holds pressing down on me. My weekend hasn’t even begun, and I am preoccupied with juggling the future. In fact, I’ve caught myself complaining that “Next week is going to be especially busy!”...for about a year now. So how do we flip that script? Well, we start small. Tomorrow is just another day. Next week is just another week. Fall is just another season. Sometimes in a sea of overwhelm, the best thing you can do is make it all feel a little less dramatic.
The mere passing of time does not force us to change. So, let us let it pass gently. The leaves may fall, but we need not abandon the joy of one season for resentment of the next. It will come, whether we like it or not. Carry with you what you love about your current season, and the replacement of flowers with pumpkins may feel a little less jarring. Carry the mundanity of a slow week into your next busy one. As you make these transitions feel smaller, you may find yourself dragging your feet through life a little less. Instead of leaping from one season to the next, may we learn to float forward instead.