Summer Gone

It is Labor Day (thanks, unions!) in the States, so I’ve got this Monday off of work. Unofficially, it is also the end of summer and the beginning of the next season. That is true enough perhaps in other climates, but here in Texas…it’s still hot and humid. A glance at my weather app, though, shows that better temperatures are trying to once again assert themselves. I hope more temperate days do arrive soon.

I went ahead and decorated the house for autumn/harvest/Hallowe’en, mostly because I wanted to even if where I live doesn’t reflect it yet. Also, last year at this season, my wife and I were living in the spare ‘oom of my sister’s house (thank you, sis!) as we were in between living arrangements at the time and couldn’t decorate. For both reasons, my soul was ready for pumpkins, fall leaves (even fake), and other associated seasonal icons.

Now that summer is “over”, I’ve also had a look back over my summer wish-list of things to accomplish, and I must admit I was half-way successful. I tend towards a pessimistic, all-or-nothing mentality, and while failure is always an option (thank you, Mythbusters!) I want to be careful to not ascribe things to myself that simply aren’t true. For a while I was doing great. I read books, refrained from doomscrolling, write haiku in the evening, and did a ton of organization in the house.

Then Boston happened.

Vacationing to Boston this summer was a fantastic idea, and I’m thrilled to have done it. But I am unused to such disruptions to my routine, and thus, upon my return, I haven’t been the same. I haven’t yet returned to all the things I was doing so well before I left, and I can tell the difference in my mental health, energy, and even physical health.

What this really means is that I need to step back, breathe deep, reset, and then reengage. Doing so should allow me to get back to better habits. I acknowledge that life is a continuum, not a destination, and that habits are hard-won. But I can do hard things (thanks again, sis!). I really want to be consistent, and all that means is starting again.

Anyone who knows me knows I like baseball. Baseball is all about streaks: consecutive games with a hit, innings pitched without allowing a hit or walk, home runs hit in a row, games played, etc. Records are make to be broken, and streaks always end. The good news? There’s always the next game to start the next streak or to build towards the next record. Emulating my favorite sport, then, I just need to wipe the slate clean from my last game, lace up my cleats, and trot back out onto the field.

So while Texas leaves stubbornly cling to their branches and the heat radiates down from the burning sun, I will turn the calendar page and continue once more the tasks I have set myself. My summer to-do list will become my autumn to-do list. As a reminder, I want to read more, doomscroll less, write more, and work on a few specific projects: to whit, finish scanning photos for my mother, create some poetry chapbooks, take some toy photos, and finish sorting some LEGO.

I can’t wait to continue crossing things off my list and curating a healthier mental and physical existence. I can do difficult things!