Although summer has not officially ended, it has in the minds of most people, as Labor Day memories quickly fade away and normal life resumes.
I remember the first real warm day in June. The garden was coming to life; the lawn was growing so quickly I needed to mow more than once per week. The calendar started filling in with visitors, plans, outings, and the rest. It was an endless list of wonderful things to do after a long winter, which seemed part punishment, part hibernation. The days also seemed endless, with dusk stretching past the ten o’clock hour.
And, just like that, it comes to a screeching halt. To be honest, sometime in late August I start thinking of resting and taking a breather. I am tired from packing in all of the fun into these three short months. These months are the ones that give real meaning to the long winters for those of us who live in Northern Michigan year-round. As Labor Day comes and goes, my appetite for crisp apples and warm sweaters intensifies. I like that the sun sets a little earlier and I don’t feel the need to push myself into the late hours of the night. These, I’m sure, are true signs of aging.
Speaking of aging, based on life expectancy and statistics, I may be blessed with only another twenty or so of these summers. That is a surprisingly low number and one I try not to dwell on. Just like other seasons of my life, how I live during those summers will likely change. Perhaps less paddle boarding and biking and more reading and sipping tea on the porch. Honestly, that seems as far away from my current activity level as the time I spent whiling away the summers with skinned knees, tree climbing, and working in the cherry orchards.
Before I go on to depress not only me but maybe you, dear reader, I have to remind myself that September in Northern Michigan is one of the best months of all. With no offense intended to our seasonal visitors and tourists, the beaches are a little more spacious, parking spots (especially at the Post Office) are more plentiful, and traffic has decreased considerably. The weather and the water temperatures in the lakes remain exceptional for enjoyment.
Even though I do look forward to the drop in temperatures so I can resume cold plunging, I do enjoy how the lake remains warm even as air temperatures drop late in the month. If you haven’t made it to one of Lake Michigan’s most beautiful beaches yet this year, please make a plan to do so in the next several weeks. You can thank me later.
When I was a kid, I owned the Beach Boys album, “Endless Summer.” Not only did I enjoy the music, but I also identified with the title in ways that made sense. Summers really did seem endless back then. As I grow older, nothing resembles the endlessness I perceived back then. In reality, it seems like I just dragged all of the outdoor furniture out onto the patio, and it is almost time to put it all away. How does that happen?
I really don’t have any regrets about what I hoped to do during the summer; we packed a lot in. We really didn’t leave anything undone. We spent some lazy days lolling around the beach, and we spent super busy days with our grown children and grandson. We both stayed healthy and didn’t really have any limitations. It just seemed to fly by.
I remember maybe 25 years ago, a client asking me, “Do you know that feeling that time seems to be going faster and faster as we age?” Of course I know that feeling. He said, “It’s not that time is moving any differently; it’s just that we are moving slower, so it seems like it is flying by.” There may be some truth to that.
I also remember my father-in-law trying to explain the same concept to me when we were in our twenties and busy raising people. He said, “It seems like time is dragging right now; it will pick up every decade, and by the time you get to your sixties, it will be racing away from you.” I didn’t give it much thought at the time, as I was too busy changing diapers constantly and trying to start a career. But that thought remained, and I wish he was around so I could tell him how right he was.
I did not intend for this post to be such a bummer. More like I just needed to get this time-whizzing-by thing off my chest, and really focus on enjoying the summer we have left. As I write these words, the next thing on my to-do list is to pack up my stuff and head to North Beach in Leland for a long beach walk and a swim. It is mid-seventies and sunny, so please excuse me as I have to go; the beach is calling, and I must respond.