Recharging Batteries

Last year, during Labor Day weekend I looked at Johnny and said " What happened to our summer?". Last year it seemed we were busy every single weekend. We packed our days with work, our evenings with dinner and events and filled our weekends with parties and gatherings. We certainly had a great summer but by the end of the season I wasn't sure that we had actually enjoyed any of it. Sure we had seen a lot of people, and visited a lot of places but had we actually accomplished anything? This summer we were determined to do things differently. Summer in the northeast only lasts for about 2 months, so with only 8 weeks of real summer weather it would be up to us to make the most of it. The biggest change this year has been the pace in which Johnny and I have been moving through life. Last year we seemed to jump from one activity to the next, where as this year we are instead taking the time to pick and choose events, and enjoy the slow walk to get there. It's now the second week of August and I am feeling so very relaxed and at peace with summer.

Most weekends we've headed right from work on Friday to my family's lake house in the Adirondacks. Filling our weekends with swimming, reading and good conversation means that come Sunday night we are feeling recharged and ready to face the work week again. Instead of rushing home on weeknights to hide away in our air conditioning and answer more work emails, I've ventured into the world of gardening. It's just one small pot of herbs and a few hanging plants this year, but my confidence has grown for a full garden next. Johnny and I are enjoying conversations about everything under the sun from childhood memories to politics. Deciding to choose activities to join our friends in this year instead of signing up for them all means that when we do get to spend time with our favorite people, we are even more attentive to being with them. Last year we rushed through the summer and it ended with nothing to show for it. Now with the season more then halfway through, I feel like we are making it through the with great balance. Our time spent with family and friends had been wonderful, and that is largely because we have been enjoying the time spent relaxing by ourselves. Eventually we'll have to re-calibrate and figure out the new way of life during fall, but for now I'll slip on my favorite t-shirt, enjoy the summer heat and continue to bask in the evenness of summer.