The long Memorial Day weekend is done, and summer is here.
Yesterday, during lunch, we talked about the time between now and Labor Day — what things were scheduled (a bunch), what we wanted to accomplish (a lengthy list), and a few quick trips we’d like to take (here, there, and yon).
Looking at the calendar, one thing is for sure: we’ve rolled out the crazy days of summer. And I have no worries that the weather will provide some hazy days.
What I’m concerned about are the lazy days.
In an effort to squeeze all the fun out of summer, sometimes we pack it too tight, fill it to the gills with a million things.
- I should plant a huge vegetable garden and take up canning instead of just talking about it.
- We really ought to go to the family reunion because old Aunt Agnes will be so disappointed if we’re not there again…and it would be fun to see the cousins.
- The kids really need to get their 4-H projects pulled together to take to the County Fair.
Each of those things may have merit, but they also take time.
A huge vegetable garden is also a huge undertaking. It need to be weeded, watered, and tended (so you better not be planning a two week vacation). Then it takes even more time to prep the food and jars for canning or freezing, not to mention the time for the canning itself.
That family reunion is a ten-hour car ride one way. Is twenty hours in the car a good trade for a two hour dinner?
And does it matter if your kids enter only a couple of their absolute favorite projects? Will staying up half the night baking biscuits, cornbread, banana bread, cookies, and muffins make a better memory when they’re older?
Instead, what if we chose to spend time:
- driving a two-lane blacktop with the windows down and no particular destination in mind.
- watching the sunset from the Adirondack chair that you bought specifically for that purpose.
- listening to a baseball game on the radio on a Sunday afternoon.
- meandering through the farmer’s market looking for something for supper.
- reading a “beach book” even if you aren’t at the beach.
- reveling in the smell of burgers and hot dogs on the grill.
What if this summer we make an effort to step off the rat wheel and not feel guilty?
What if this is the summer we make doing absolutely “nothing” part of the plan?
What if we make a point of giving ourselves time to recharge and renew with unscheduled time that simply unfolds in front of us.
Time that doesn’t involve being stuck in lots of traffic, trying to find parking spaces, and standing in long lines.
Here’s to a lazy summer. Who’s with me?