Summers End

It feels so weird to think that Summer is coming to an end. Just as quickly as summer came it seems it is now leaving us as well. When Irene swept through, she didn't just take with her houses and roads, but also the warm weather as well.

When spring left us in June, I started my list of all of the things I hoped to do with our summer. My list was full of activities, and while so many of those things are left un-done, so many others were added to my list as the months went on. I never did get a chance to buy a bike so I could spend my evenings riding through town, but I did plant herbs that welcomed me home for a few minutes of watering and pruning each day. When work seemed to calm down for Johnny and I, we made our way up to camp, and when things got chaotic we stayed close to home and headed to the pool.

What I didn't do much of this summer was shop. It wasn't an intentional choice, but I have always been a fan of my summer wardrobe and spent most of the summer remixing each of the items. I'm excited to go into fall feeling like there aren't any pieces that I didn't get a chance to wear before the weather changed. Typically, I get caught up with trends and styles and have always enjoyed taking a few moments each week to browse through the racks occasionally returning home with a few new items. This summer however, the last place I wanted to be was in an air conditioned mall. Not when I've got plenty of clothes in my closet, and great weather waiting outside.

I may have spent less time shopping this summer, but I spent more time being aware of my well being. This last year, I have really tried to live more mind fully. I've tried to get myself physically back to a healthy place, and enjoyed using the summer months to put my mental status in the right. Finding 15 minutes each day to take a few deep breathes and center myself is sometimes all it takes to really help me feel back together again. Sometimes it's as simple as keeping up with my new herbs after getting home, or reading a few chapters of my book, and sometimes it was heading over to my local Aqua Zumba class for an hour. Adding this guaranteed time each day to spend just enjoying me has made a world of difference for my well being.

As Summer ends, I am starting to decide what things I will keep into the fall, and what things need to be put away until next year. My plan to buy a bicycle can still be completed, but my bathing suits can slowly be packed away. My shopping less, and Me-Time more routines will stay, and the herbs will be freeze dried and stored for the winter months. Oh, and that amazing maxi dress? That will stay.