I'm not ready...

Everyone seems to be moving on from summer and on to fall. Except for me.

Honestly, I never want summer to come to a close. It’s the season of abundance!

More light.

More warmth.

More juicy fruit.

More lush green trees. More splashing around in the river.

More everything.

More.

Who doesn’t want that to keep on going?

It signals to me that my soul wants more. That it was made for more. It was made for abundance. It was made for life. It was unsurprisingly created to “have life and have it abundantly” as Jesus reminds me in John 10:10. The season of summer is God reminding us of the restoration of all things that Jesus will bring when He comes again.

Summer is both the season where I want to do all the fun things, and also do nothing at all. Somehow both at once. It’s luscious. Beautiful.

But I know, we need the seasons. As much as I never want summer to end, it has to. Summer gives way to fall. Winter allows the land, and the human heart, to rest and reset. Spring arrives like a hope we’ve been carrying in our souls for an eternity. And then summer shows up again. The fulfillment of that hope.

While it seems like most people are mentally checking out of summer at this point, with back-to-school shelves already lining every store and Starbucks hyping the return of its seasonal favorite (cavity in a cup, the pumpkin spice latte), I’m just not ready. The truth is, I never am. August is still very much summer.

The calendar says we have until September 22 before it’s “officially” fall. But the world is already moving on, ready to leave summertime behind. I’m not in a rush to say goodbye. I want to linger a little longer while we still have it.

I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon says there is a season for everything.

Why are we in such a rush to get to the next thing, the next season, the next holiday? God-willing, the time will pass on its own. Why do we give ourselves the illusion of making it go faster?

The world moves on. And it moves fast. But I’m choosing not to.

Now, practically speaking, that may not always be feasible. For those with little ones getting ready to go back to school, or college kids starting a new semester, it’s not like you can rearrange the school calendar. (Unless you homeschool, which is another story for another time.)

There are still ways to opt out. Out of the rat race. Out of the ever-elusive feeling of FOMO. Out of the internet culture of hustle harder.

What are you doing this month to be more present, to slow down, to sit in gratitude?

While the rest of the world is off to the next thing, let’s sit a little while longer in the beautiful summer season we’re still in.

• What’s going on in your town this weekend and the following weekends? A highly underutilized resource wherever you are is your local Convention and Visitors Bureau. It will most likely be Visit[city].com or something similar. These sites help to promote local tourism, events, things to do, places to stay, etc. I’ve found so many fun hidden gems I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

• Go for a walk or hike without your headphones. Just you, your thoughts, and God.

• Remove the social media apps from your phone. That alone forces you to be present. Train yourself to not want to share everything. You don’t have to prove to people that you’re “living”. Just be present and live in this moment.

• Pick up a classic book that trains your mind to pay attention.

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - there’s something summery about this book. It’s a short and excellent read about the dangers of building a life for the sole purpose of impressing others.

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - this needs no explanation. It’s a fun little adventure filled with whimsy and delight.

• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett - this has always been one of my favorite stories as a kid. There’s beauty, redemption, and friendship. It’s a story about what happens to a grieving heart when you let beauty in.