A Reminder

It has been two weeks since the middle day of the year has passed and I am sad. I could tell by the way the sunlight shone on my daughter's hair this morning that things were changing. Tree leaves are losing their oh-so-new green hue. Insects are beginning to ramp up their chorus of clicks and whistles that peak in August - rehearsals before a grand run in Earth's symphony hall.

Walking to the mailbox today, I noticed the shadows are a bit longer on my front garden and the weeds are outgrowing my snapdragons. I am tired of pulling weeds. I want - dare I say it - I want to spray the living daylights out of all the weeds. I want them out of my life, but I don't want the trouble. Gone is my springtime enthusiasm for gardening. Resting in its place is the knowledge that August is coming with its shortened days, unrelenting heat, and mosquito insurgency.

August reminds me that time is better spent sitting by the pool while my little one plays the part of the sea monster to her chubby water toys. That this coming month's morning light, with its new slant and subtle orange glow, will be the most beautiful time of day all year. That I will try to convince my husband to open the windows at night so I can fall asleep to that symphony I've been hearing so much about lately.

What had been intended as a missive on disliking the month of August seems to have had the opposite effect on me. It did not take long to find beauty where a moment ago it did not exist. I must remember to return this lesson to my daughter when she starts to over think everything around her.

-Posted by Linda