The Apples in My Orchard

It seems that no matter how old one is when August arrives, there is still the sense of squeezing something in before autumn is upon us.

Our boys are grown and gone. We are retired and still this weekend I felt like we were trying hard to squeeze in one last something….before the cooler weather is here.

One last trip to the cabin with friends who have children.

One last swim in the lake.

One last canoe ride before the sun sets, earlier and earlier.

One last hike before we have to ski instead.

One last stop for ice cream.

One last book to read for pleasure.

One last day trip to plan.

It seems that we get so used to planning our lives around both seasonal events and cultural standards that it’s hard to stop doing it when we are free to stop.

Maybe the “squeeze-in mentality” comes from living at a northern latitude where our summers are short and days become noticeably shorter the further we get toward a return to the school buses running.

All I know is that my days are not ruled by the school culture anymore, but my life seems to still be caught up in squeezing in those last few end-of-summer flings!