Brand New Page

How did it get to be July already?

Surely I’m not the only one thinking this as they turn the calendar today. Surely I’m not the only one thinking something like this every month.

Certain months, when they come along, come with baggage in my head. I will never love January because it means the Christmas festivities are over, and some post-holiday blues always overtake me. And even thought I’m a parent now, and therefore on the other side of things, I can’t help but think as September as back to school, back to work, back to whatever ball and chain and the end of summer fun. As a lifelong perfectionist, overachiever, and worrier, that doesn’t bring out the best in me. (Also, it is the onset of football, and my fall widowhood, so there’s that now as well.)

My apologies to those of you whose birthday months I just mildly maligned. Truly you are the bright spots in those months.

July always sneaks up on me. At the beginning of June, the summer seems to stretch on forever, and the kid in me takes giddy pleasure in that (again, even though I’m a parent and should typically be harrumphing that I must now entertain my children all day long for a whole bunch of weeks). The heat hasn’t become oppressive (most years, this one notwithstanding) and routines become a little looser. It really does feel like June will keep on going on and on. Until all of the sudden it’s time to turn the calendar.

I’ve already mentioned my propensity for Squirrelly Thinking, and this is yet another example. Even though there’s still plenty of summer left (and heat even longer), it signals the beginning of the end of the season in my mind. Because June seemed so lusciously slow and lingering, it’s a little bit of a shock when it’s over. It doesn’t help that the first back to school ads show up right on the heels of the Fourth of July. August doesn’t really get its due as part of summer because half of it is eaten up by getting ready for school and the other half is actually school. So July reminds me that time stops for no one.

Yes, I’m nuts. This should not come as a surprise.

So this year, I plan to backtrack and redouble my efforts to enjoy the summer while it last and have as much fun as possible with the kids while arrival bells, carpools, and homework are not part of daily life. I will go swimming more, bathing suits and wet hair be damned. I will enjoy an umbrella style cocktail when the opportunity presents itself (somebody, present me an opportunity already). I will try not to complain (too much) about the July heat. I will drink summer in.