Summer Take-Aways

The official 2024 summer is long gone. As a senior I feel the need to reflect on the weather. It was an interesting summer regarding the weather. The first part of July was cold, filled with lots of rain and of course, wind. Once it settled down there were nice summer temperatures. The weather finished strong, September was one of the hottest on record in Manitoba and most of Canada. Reality has now set in for me when I look at the heavy frost in the mornings, no more summer.

It was many years ago, a friend told me that her and her husband didn't do anything during the summer months. She decided that every day she would do one summer activity to make it memorable. I liked that idea and for some time now, I have embraced her concept. I made it a focus to do a summer activity nearly every day. Often it was a visit to the pool, coffee in the park or at the river, just something simple. Other times it was a much bigger event. The take-away here is, it is the little things that we do for ourselves, that can make our lives more meaningful.

  

I am someone who loves to do "take-aways" from an experience or event. I have come to realize there is not many people who embrace that activity. When my cousin visited, we would reflect on our day's activities. We had so many take-aways, I believe because we made a point of talking about them. In our nerd-like way, we also wrote them in our journals. It would give us the opportunity to reflect on later when we had forgotten. A huge take-away from the whole time together was we needed to laugh and have more fun.  

A special summer memory was an overnight I had at my good friend's home. She is an amazing cook and the best hostess I know. We were tourists in her small towns. It was such a wonderful experience. One stop was at the memorial garden that was developed on main street in the town she grew up in. A donation could be made towards the gardens on behalf of a family member that had passed away. The donation was used to plant flowers, shrubs or grasses of the donor's choice in their family memory. The names were then displayed next to the chosen plant. Not only was it a way to beautify the town, but it brought back such fond memories for my friend.  

       

I was amazed at how the small towns we visited were utilizing their community buildings to promote their town. The take-away was to visit small towns more. I love to drive through small towns and embrace what they have to offer. So many small towns have been given up on, this was not the case with the towns we visited.

Another take-away was to never go past a lemonade stand without buying. I had made this commitment to myself years ago, but I had gotten lazy about it. We had the perfect lemonade for our memorial garden lunch that was provided by local young entrepreneurs. 

The water level was high all summer. The grass, flowers, trees and crops just thrived. Even now well into fall, the grass has a tinge of green, most of the crops are off and the trees are hanging onto the last yellow glory of their leaves. The take-away here is Mother Nature makes life interesting.  

                    

In retirement, I feel it is important to keep active. I managed to get a routine going this summer. Going to the gym twice a week, volunteering once a week, and the activities around paddling, filled the bill. I also filled every jar in my home with jams and jellies. I feel like mother earth when I am making preservatives. I could spend my time baking for a bake sale or purging the bake cupboard supplies. The take-away is, it seems it takes very little for the time to fly by in my little world. 

           

My biggest take-away for this summer is that it goes by way too quickly. I am reminded after spending time in BC with my grandkids that we all need to be more like kids. At any time, but especially in the summer, we need to play, laugh and fill our lives with fun. 

Reluctantly, I have said goodbye to summer and hello to fall. Fall can be described as beautiful, and I am embracing it.