Long sultry days stretch into August, full of morning sunshine, afternoon heat, and four o'clock Florida thunderstorms. Mosquitoes the size of small aircraft and silently watchful black snakes have taken over the back yard.
The season brings built in distractions. The pool all but begs for a raft to linger on its unruffled waters. Of course, it needs to be cleaned first. My back patio would be a great place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee, if I didn't have to wade through dusty bikes, strollers, scooters, basketballs, and a mini artist studio to reach the love seat. Then there are the kids, home for several months and full of great ideas. "Let's go to the movies." "Let's go to the park." "Can I play with my cousin?" "Mom, will you play Go Fish with me?"
Somehow I convince myself every year that summer is going to be a time of productivity. With the kids home, I don't have to bracket my day between mirrored morning and afternoon 90 minute car pool trips downtown. There's no rush to get school clothes clean (put a swimsuit on kid), and no structured homework / meal time. But once summer actually hits, there is instead a slow collapse of the productivity that I thought would flourish.
And through it all, my laptop sits unused. More and more, life drags me away from the keyboard. Sometimes kicking and screaming, more often unapologetic for the loss. Because the things that are dragging me away? They aren't going to be there forever.
There's a song on the radio now, sung by Trace Adkins. Brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. The chorus goes
You're going to miss this
You're going to want this back
You're going to wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're going to miss this
And every time I hear it, I take a deep breath and remind myself that its true. There are interruptions every day that take me from things I want to be doing. But the things that are interrupting me? They are pretty damn important too. And so I'm trying to learn to relax and enjoy the ride, and stop worrying about how long it is taking me to reach the goal.
Summer has barely begun. Next week brings 8 house guests, a birthday / 4th of July party, and all the craziness that goes with that. There will be little sleep, and less writing. But that's OK - its going to be good times.
Bring on the interruptions.
3 comments:
Ember.
As a mom with an 18 year old, I am finding myself missing those good days and times too. I wrote when my son was in school, at night and sometimes in the car with a notebook and pen waiting for him to get out of school, soccer practice etc. They're frustrating times but oh they do go by faster than you realize. Cherish them. :D
Hugs
Pat
great blog entry btw :D
Why are all the bloggers making me cry today?
Sometimes when I'm getting annoyed at my kid for bugging me when I'm trying to work, I just have to remind myself of exactly what you're saying.
That was a wonderful blog!
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