Wonderful Wednesday #130
A sort of summer burnout and, some lovely things from lately.
It’s only July and July already all at once. A rare run-of-sun that’s made each day feel blurred, hazily and sleepily fastening each one to the next. Heavy-headed nights of light sleep, days that go on forever and, the kind that make you feel as if you should be doing forever because of it.
I sort of thought the novelty would wear off. That I, in amongst the longest run of driest days that I can remember for a long, long time would, eventually settle into it. Maybe I’d even learn to like it and it would all even out. That I would stop expecting myself to keep-on-keeping on because there was light and then time to be fitting things in and squeezing the last into—or is it out of the days—or maybe both. Unlike the ‘3pms’ of Winter that are fast-flooded with inky dark and icy temperatures that halt most sorts of productive behaviour in turn for keeping warm, I think I thought that maybe this heat would put a stop to the relentless of it all.
It’s as if after all my grumbling and complaining of the sudden warmth, that there’s been an amount of settling in happening. At first it all felt natural: My energies aligned alongside the growing light that came. As the days and the light stretched out so too did my productivity and energy. Until it all of a sudden became too hot, too much and a kind of heat that almost rendered me useless. Tired and useless and already. A maybe-summer burnout.
But isn’t it funny how we adapt or pivot: We spin things on their head and make them work. Maybe because we have to and there’s no choice or maybe because that’s as natural for us as human beings as it is for the sun to rise and the moon to set. Neither of which we have any say or control in. We so often have to learn to simply learn to exist alongside whatever is given to us.
Now its a handful of weeks in and I’m done. Tired from a summer that usually feels as if it’s only just begun before the days snatch away the light to autumn. This year I have already reached capacity. I’m tired of the warmth and from expecting too much in a different way. Fast-filling the days until the light runs out and trying to do too much because I can.
I’m looking forward to a few cooler days that the weather app is promising me. I won’t complain if there’s a little drizzle and damp to quench the crispy fields that seem to surround us no matter which way we turn these days. I have tried my best with the flowers but they too are wilting and crisping at the edges and need a rest too.
This week I have tried my best to slow down. To linger in the breeze when there has been one and, to remember that life doesn’t have to move fast and forward always and, that being right here, right now and appreciating the present is important too. Even in summer. It makes counting the small glimmers, bright parts and underestimated bits extra, extra special. Here are a few of them from lately:
1 A through-breeze. Something both my grandparents would often say and also something I never realised the true magic of until these lsat few weeks. The sweet spot after supper when I am showered and ‘pyjama-ed’ and can open all of the windows wide upstairs and read for half an hour before bed.
2 Frozen berries. Straight from the freezer: tingling on the tip of my tongue and a welcome fizzy treat but nearly always just dropped into warm porridge or thick greek yoghurt. However which-way, really.
3 Silence. Especially the early morning kind. An underrated peaceful time that really helps ease me into a day that is full and is busy.
4 Shorts. Cycle-friendly, wafty, cool and a perfect pairing for all of my favourite summer blouses when it’s far too warm for any kind of trouser.
What small joys, nearly forgotten moments and good ‘bits’ are the most grateful lately? I’d love for you to share
I love a breeze, the wind is what makes me feel alive. I too have always cherished the early silence of a morning. I like a slow start to the day. Alas, every man I’ve ever been with seems to be super loud in the morning and it stresses me out so much. I really do want autumn but I feel I will miss the pockets of sunshine that aren’t burning me alive. The sunset and the cooler air, lying on the grass watching the sky.
Early morning silences are definitely a favourite of mine right now, too. I'm also enjoying the days that feel like Spring rather than like standing inside an inferno. We've been working on making our garden more of a feature, which I'm liking – colourful little pots lining the fences make such a difference to my mood!