Late August can feel abrupt. Rushing to acquire the necessities for the next ten months of production, time tightens. Uniforms and supplies, paperwork and payments. Other voices impose. The labors of school begin after Labor Day.
Coincidence?
These last days of August leave me nostalgic for the Summer. Fleeting fast, I grab as many pool days and BBQs and movie nights and lie-ins as I can.
I say goodbye to my friends and neighbors; I will see them again in February. Sports, dance, and homework will fill the moments around school until Spring. The light will return then and we can exhale knowing we are in the home stretch.
For now, I inhabit the in-between space of Summer and School.
Psychologically, though I try to prepare myself for September, I’m not confident I can keep up with the world and its deadlines.
The world isn’t set up for us to succeed. Futile expectations abound. The children must be straight-A students who take music lessons, excel in a sport, and volunteer in charitable work.
As their mother I must set the example with nutrient-dense and IG-worthy meals, a fit-and-trim bod, a career, and a hot sex life. I should also have time for my extended family, keep a perfect house and garden, maintain friendships, and head innumberable school committees. Also, I should *not* age, waste time, or complain.
I’m not complaining; I’m just saying.
Here comes Scheduled September, where you need a force-based layout system to keep track of everyone and everything.
But, wait! Not yet!
I’m nostaglic for Summer passing. And with it, lazy mornings satiated with dreams. No place to be; nothing due. Sandwiches. Light-filled dusks and dawns. Quiet and time to discover and unfurl. Allowing.
To keep my head on straight I’m going into September with a Summer mindset.
Going in the calendar now, free days. If that’s when we need to catch up on homework or laundry or cleaning out the refrigerator, fine. Otherwise, no play dates, no parties, no social obligations. I’ll let the day amble before me, deciding everything on whim.
Check back with me in October. I’ll let you know how I did.
How will you keep September Sane?