I’m Not Ready for Summer to End

A Note from One Sisterfriend to Another

This month, we’re celebrating the G.I.F.T. found in everyday moments.

G – Gratitude for simple moments.
I – Intention to slow down.
F – Freedom to rest without guilt.
T – Time to notice what truly matters.

For our final week, I’m thinking about T–Time.

More specifically, taking our time.

August is almost over, but I’m in no hurry
to rush it out the door.

There are still ordinary moments left to enjoy–a few slow mornings, a few warm evenings,
and a little more summer to savor.

And I plan to take my time with them.

With love,
Belinda

SisterFriend Reflection
‍”Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh

Every year around this time, the world seems determined to move on without me.

The stores have decided it’s fall.

Pumpkin has begun appearing in places where I’m not convinced pumpkin belongs.

The back-to-school displays are everywhere. Schedules are filling up again. Fall clothes are
showing up even though it is still entirely too hot to wear them.

And somewhere, I’m certain, someone is already thinking about Christmas.

Can we finish August first?

I’m not ready.

Not because I need to squeeze one more vacation, road trip, festival, or grand adventure out of the summer.
To be honest, my last vacation, the summer ended in a serious stomach bug that I would rather forget.

Actually, I want the opposite.

I want to linger.

I want another morning when I wake up and don’t immediately start thinking about what needs to be done.

Another day when pajamas remain a perfectly reasonable outfit well past noon.

Another dessert I didn’t need but thoroughly enjoyed.

And if there’s second-day banana pudding involved, even better.

I want another afternoon when I look at the clock and realize I’ve accomplished very little–and, for once,
don’t feel compelled to correct the situation.

There was a time when I probably would have thought that kind of day was wasted.

Now I wonder whether I was sometimes wasting the day by being so busy trying to make it count.

That’s one of the things I’ve been thinking about during this month of ordinary days.

We are very good at anticipating what comes next.

We plan for it.

Prepare for it.

But for it.

Worry about it. That’s a big one. Worry has a way of stealing the joy from an ordinary day.

But in all those preparations for what’s coming, we can leave what is here before it has actually left us.

That’s why I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to August.

It isn’t really about summer.

It’s about learning not to rush through one season of my life simply because another one is waiting.

There will always be a next thing.

Another appointment.

Another project.

Another deadline.

Another season.

September will arrive whether I prepare for it today or not.

And when it does, I’ll meet it.

But until then, there are still a few ordinary Agugus days left.

A few evenings when the sun stays around a little longer. Mornings that don’t need to begin quite so quickly.

Maybe another day in pajamas.

Definitely another dessert.

And perhaps that’s enough.

I don’t need to make these last days of summer memorable.

I just want to be here for them.

So no, I’m not ready for summer to end.

Not quite yet.

September is coming.

It knows where to find me.

Where Purpose Meets Strategy

This week’s strategy? Be where you are.

Before you turn the calendar, choose one thing about this season you want to enjoy one more time.

Nothing elaborate.

Sit outside a little longer.
Sleep a little later.
Watch the sunset.
Call someone and let the conversation run long.

Or do absolutely nothing with an afternoon.

Whatever you choose, be there for it.

A Little Challenge

Before August ends, give yourself one more ordinary summer moment.

No photography required.
No social media post necessary.
No need to make it memorable.
Just enjoy it.

May you notice what is still here before turning toward what comes next.

May you have the wisdom to know when it is time to move forward–and the grace to know when it is perfectly fine to linger.

And may you remember:

September knows where to find you, too.