We're past Midsummer and into the heat of summer. A friend of mine mentioned we're on the dark side of the year now because each day we have a little less light. The phrase stuck with me as I worked through my days.
Every day we shift to a minute or two less of light. The clock is ticking, ticking, ticking to remind us to finish whatever our goals are for this year. How many times have you heard someone say - where did the year go or where did the month go?
Working at a university, summer's are quiet. Faculty are in sporadically. July becomes a wasteland because by mid-August the university schedule with a lot of meetings starts back up. In July, faculty are taking their time for family, vacations, writing, and a variety of other things. They try to cram in as much with the other aspects of their lives because August through May, they are going non-stop.
In the old days, this is the time of year everyone worked from sun up to sun down (and sometimes before and after) in order to ensure they would have enough wood, food, and other supplies to get them through the harsh winters. In modern society, we don't have to worry about food running out and we certainly aren't confined to our houses. But the need to get things done is still there.
For my faculty it's get as much family time and down time in. For me, it's about tending my crochet and writing projects, doing projects around my home, and it's also about remembering to spend the time with family.
Soon it will be fall, the next season is always a breath away. We're currently enduring the heat summer, sweltering on some days. The sun is filling our food (and hopefully us) with energy. It's time to make the most of the sunlight we get. We're sliding from these hot summer days into cooler fall to icy winter. While winter may seem a long way off, it isn't.
What projects do you have going in your house, in your sacred space, in your daily life which needs to have your energy spent on it? For me, I have publishing, writing, crocheting to do. If I start listing off household things, this blog would never end. One of the things I've started doing is focusing on what I can do. With my physical limitations, frustration is high when I see something which needs to be done and five years ago, I would see it, do it, and be done with it. Now I have to see, determine whether I can do it (usually not), and figure out if I ask my husband to do it if it will be a priority for him.
For several years my office was a complete mess. Paperwork piled on desks, office supplies scattered around so I didn't know what I had. It frustrated me. I would go through, sort things out, get them organized as far as I could go but I needed furniture moved. I needed help moving boxes. I'd ask my husband. His answer - "I'll get to it." Which if you didn't know means I don't want to work on your project I'll put it on my list and say this but really it's at the bottom of the list.
Tired of the chaos, I asked my niece to help me. She gave me a morning and we got about eighty percent of the office done. The furniture I needed moved, was rearranged. Items I needed cleared out she took to where I wanted them. I still have things to do, some I can do without assistance and some I'm going to need assistance. I have a friend who is willing to come help. When we settle on a date, the office is next on my list. Before she comes, I'm going to try to clear out some of clutter in order to maximize the time I have with her.
It's a matter of making the most of the time we have. We're losing daylight every day. Enjoy the fine weather but keep an eye on your goals. Keep in mind the balance needed to accomplish what you want. In the last ten days I've been writing, working on novels which seemed to spill on the page. I couldn't type fast enough. July 4 was the ninth day I'd spent doing this intense, leave me alone, writing blitz. My daughter went off to the parade. My husband worked on projects. I wrote.
When my daughter got home, she brought company and insisted we go to the deck, spend time together, make s'mores. It was a pleasant interlude. Fire in the firepit, people I enjoy being around, and nature. I noticed the birdsong the most. They are plentiful in our yard and there is never a quiet moment. Yet their chatter is pleasant and soothing.
When the company left, I was free to write again. Taking that moment to be present, to enjoy the nature, the people, the s'mores, created a memory which will never go away. It changed my mood, my stress level, and put me in a place to do more.
It's the dark side of the year. We're losing minutes of daylight each day. From a balanced place, I'm working to harvest my goals.