Leaves are already starting to turn here and there quite slyly, almost as if they're guilty little children with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Except this time the cookie jar is fall. Blogs are bombarding the internet with "Fall wardrobe essentials" and "What I'm craving for fall" and "I can't wait for fall", and me? I feel like I'm the one, remaining fan of a TV show that used to have a loyal fan base, but no one watches it anymore and the SEASON FINALE is coming up and it's just me and my lonely bowl of popcorn left to take it all in. I LOVE fall, but I'm just not ready to say my final goodbyes to summer yet.
I read somewhere about how we only get 18 summers. 18 brief, blink-and-they're-gone summers, and then our kids are gone forever and just what are you doing with your precious, fleeting 18 summers?! Talk about a panic attack! I have a love/hate relationship with posts like that. On one hand, it sort of encourages me to get out there and carpe diem. On the other hand it makes everything start to feel a little pressured and hurryhurryhurry and "Oh no, there's not enough time!!!" And, "Are we having fun yet? We'd better be! We'd pretty much better be having the time of our lives because we've only got 16 summers left!!!!" And my heart starts racing and I start to feel all frightened and sweaty and regretful and horrifically wasteful of seconds and moments and memories and then I think..."Wait a second. It's not supposed to be like this."
And I take a deep breath and I realize that I may squander a few moments (or even days) here and there but what my children will have in 18 years is either a great relationship with me or they won't, and that's what I'll care about. Not how many Pinterest crafts we completed, or magnificent works of art we produced, or zoos, pools, parks, museums or libraries we frequented.
It's not a race. It's just our life.
Summer, on the other hand, DOES feel like a race. I've learned pretty quickly in my short time of living here in the Pacific Northwest that you can't take summer for granted. Not one single, hot, sticky day of it. Because if you blink, it's gone. And you're wanting it back, and wishing you had soaked up every second.
There are two seasons in the Pacific Northwest. There's Winter, which means pretty much cold, wind and rain, and something I'll call Sumtumningish. That's summer, autumn and springish, all rolled into one. Which pretty much means, you get this little blip-on-the-radar of a summer, a wannabe fall, and something that sort of looks like it's trying to be spring. That's my interpretation. But if that's ultra-confusing and you're a visual learner like myself, here is a helpful little graph that I found on the internets.....
Anyway, I will stop complaining about Oregon weather now. In all fairness, it was a beautiful day today. The day started out very overcast and a bit chilly, and I was drinking hot coffee and wearing a sweater and thinking, "Who in their right mind would go swimming today?!" But we went, and I was so glad we did. The clouds cleared and it was a beautiful day and we all got some sun and had a great time.
Yes, summer is on its way out, and we're a bit sad, but don't you worry about us. We're like cats, we'll land on our feet. Fall will come and I will romance it, as I always give in and do. I am truly a summer child, but I have a weakness for fall. I never want summer to leave, but it always does, and autumn is the perfect rebound. And so I will be raving about fall and how I love it soon enough, just you wait and see. But for now, I am clinging to the last few, remnants of summer, and will cherish each and every second of it.
You'd probably like our indian summer today it had to be 99. Actually your Dad just said it was 99. It's awefull. you can awe it, but not me. I will stay inside crank the AC and do the laundry & clean my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! Summer could stay around awhile longer and I would be happy as a lark!
ReplyDeleteMove to Mississippi! You'll get all the summer and more than you ever wanted!
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