New week. New month.
It’s the first Monday in June, and that means it’s time for me to . . .
Everywhere I go right now, I get this question: Any plans for the summer? It doesn’t matter where I go . . . hair salon . . . coffee shop . . . lunch with a friend . . . Lowes. Same question: Any plans for the summer?
(Maybe this doesn’t happen to you? It might be . . . just the Midwest? We are very small-talk-y here . . . ) (It’s one of the things that strikes Erin the most when she comes home for a visit . . . just how small-talk-y we really are.) (So maybe this is a regional thing.)
Anyway.
That question . . . any plans for the summer? . . . got me thinking. Our summers tend to have themes. Sometimes there are big plans. Sometimes there are not. But there’s always a theme. Back in the summer of 1976, for example, my summer theme was to get-the-best-tan-ever. In 2003 it was the summer-of-moving-my-family-to-Kalamazoo. The summer of 2007 was the summer-of-getting-a-puppy (Jenny). I’ve had summers of traveling. Summers of wedding-planning. Summers of exterior home renovation. Summers of caretaking.
This summer, though?
No real plans. (My ready answer for anyone who asks me.)
But I do have a theme! I’m thinking of this as my Summer of Zen. The summer of going with the flow. The summer of letting things unspool . . . as they unspool. It reminds me of my childhood summers, actually. Not much on the calendar. Just empty(ish) days to fill as I may. Possibilities . . . rather than commitments.
(This little guy – we refer to him as Namaste Frog – has been part of my garden décor for a very long time. Every year he calmly meditates by my pond, reminding me that . . . I should, too. No matter what kind of summer I’m having.)
Our summers seem to be little microcosms of our years. They’re like this little “bite” of time that feels . . . different. Separate from the rest of the year. (I’m sure this stems from our “school year” roots.) We often make summer goals for ourselves, or summer bucket lists. Summer days just have a different rhythm, a different schedule. And they’re fleeting (at least, they are where I live).
I think there is nothing more frustrating or disappointing than wanting a different summer than the one you’re living. (I have been there.) You probably can’t . . . get a puppy AND have a Zen summer, for example. And some years, you get dealt a big surprise in the midst of your perfectly planned summer theme. Because life happens.
So, at the beginning of this summer, I challenge you to figure out what kind of summer you’ve got going (either by design or by default). Name your summer theme. And then settle into it; own it. If you have an exciting summer of travel or exploration, own it. If you’re in the midst of a summer of home renovation (godhelpyou), own that. And if you’re having a Zen summer with nothing special on the horizon, own that!
Accept and enjoy whatever summer theme you’ve got going. (And always have an answer ready if someone happens to ask you about your plans.)
So.
What’s the theme of YOUR summer?
It’s June.
Own it!
Start Your Engines!
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JUST A REMINDER: Tomorrow – June 6 – is the Read With Us discussion day for our current selection, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. Bonny, Carole, and I will each be posting discussion questions on our blogs, and then we’ll be hosting a Zoom discussion later in the evening (7:00 Eastern Time). We’d love to have you join us! Please RSVP (in the comments or send me an email) if you want to join us on the Zoom (if you haven’t already).
It’s not just the Midwest; we get the same question here! I think that’s because most people tend to go on vacation in the summer, whereas we generally do our big trip over the winter holidays. Although I am going off on a little adventure (to SSK in Nashville), summer is a time of enjoying being at home for me, so bring on the zen!
Looking forward to our discussion tomorrow night!
I love the possibilities summer brings. All that sunshine helps.
RSVP for tomorrow evening. Looking forward to the discussion.
I have no real summer plans, but the theme is The Summer of Going With the Flow and Acceptance. I’ve had some things happen already and while I’m not sure I can achieve a state of Zen, I am already working on acceptance.
My physical therapist is young and he asks me about my weekend plans every Friday and how my weekend was every Monday. Reading and knitting are not really what he has in mind, so maybe on Friday I’ll tell him I’m going for a hot air balloon ride and bungee jumping.
I suppose we will go to visit our son sometime this summer. Other than that, no plans.
I don’t have many plans for the summer other than to slow down and enjoy each day as it comes. I will be traveling with family later this week, we are headed up your way. We’ll spend a couple of days in Holland and will be in Kalamazoo on Sat. & Sun. for my nephew’s college graduation.
I look forward to our book discussion tomorrow evening!
This is my summer of doing what I feel like doing. Having given up/released most of the many volunteer commitments I have been carrying, I have actual time to spare. (Although there are still a couple/three loose ends to tie up.) Sleepy? Take a nap. Tired? Lie down and read. Bored? Knit and listen to an audiobook. Feeling ambitious? Give it a minute, the feeling will pass.
No plans…just taking each day as it comes. But I am a little more focused than usual. I go out and do a bit of weeding each morning before it gets too hot. So by sometime shortly after 8 am I’ve already accomplished something for the day!
Summer just seems to sneak up on us here on the coast, as it’s still in the low 40s in the morning and barely breaks 60 during the day. If I avoid going to the village (with all the tourists) I can almost pretend it is still winter!
My summer is starting with a trip to Poland and Croatia at the end of the month. The rest of the summer is unplanned which is usual for us. I like to see what comes up.
I wish I could make the book discussion tomorrow! I’m still waiting for a library copy and should have just bought the book but the date snuck up on me. I really enjoyed the Marriage Portrait discussion and hope to make a future one.
The timing of this post is perfect – I actually sat down with my journal over the weekend and did a mind map for my summer! I’ll be blogging about it later this week, I think. And you are so right about the problem of having a summer that’s different from the summer you want. Remember the summer when Jack got bitten by a ticket and we were at the hospital every day? Yeah. Not how I wanted that summer to go.
Unmet expectations are the root cause of so many of our disappointments. I’m not sure what I’d name it, but I’m just hoping it feels like summer – lots of porch time, dinner from the grill with homegrown tomatoes, spontaneous wine with my neighbors, night-time air heavy with the scent of magnolia, … I just started the list a few days ago 🙂
I was just thinking about this idea and I love the Zen theme. Our summers are the best so I like to be around to enjoy them. I am planning some hiking on new paths and trying to find ways to relax and enjoy. My summer of here – I will own that.
Oh how I love the idea of a Zen summer. I do need to get out of a lazy rut (as I commented on Carole’s blog this a.m.). Lately I’ve had no energy or impetus to clean or cook which is so unlike me. I need to shake it up, but gently. No plans and that’s kind of the way I like it.
Oh, and looking forward to seeing and talking with everyone tomorrow night!! thanks agin for organizing and doing this whole book thing – it’s a boat load of fun!
Fun post, neat idea! I’ve actually been thinking about this. (Because I always have to think about it this time of year, since my summer schedule’s not my own, really….with school-age kiddos home. So I know my theme is key! It’s Flex and Flow.
I was absolutely remembering what my summers were then… and now. (sort of as Carolyn suggests) My answer then would be one full of summer activities… a plethora of “summer lessons” that meant a summer of go, go, go. (Honestly, I don’t miss all those summer lessons…and there go, go, go… at all!) The now is much more appealing… more zen flow… and my brain likes that so much more. I talk on the phone with my kids and they are now in the go, go, go stage… I am going to remind them to have some moments of “flow” this summer… give the go a rest!
Oooohhhhhhmmmmm. They just cut down all the trees on my street. Storm drains are going in next. Streets & sidewalks ripped up & replaced after that. And living at the end of a dead-end street during all that is going to be… interesting. I am so thankful that the “living” side of my house doesn’t depend on the view out front… and that we’ve made a lovely oasis for ourselves in the back! There are plenty of 200+ year old trees to enjoy from there.
This is a big year of travel for us but will be the summer of home. Enjoying it, relaxing in it and hopefully having plenty of lazy days of summer right here.