I stood on my deck looking out over the field behind our house. The fog hung low obscuring the deer from view. I knew they were out there. Every morning and every evening there out there, heads hung low feeding on the beans planted in the field. I often think the farmer down the road isn’t going to have a very good fall harvest. A dozen or more deer munching away twice a day throughout the field, fattening up on his harvest.
As I stood on my deck I noticed a couple of things…..first, I was wearing pants…pants for gods sake! Except for a wedding back in June I don’t think I’ve worn pants all summer. And I was wearing a sweatshirt…a sweatshirt for god sake!
As Hemingway once said about bankruptcy, the changing of the seasons happens slowly then suddenly. No, no, no, I’m not giving up on summer, there’s still too much of it left to declare it over but there are signs. Pants and sweatshirts in the morning just being two of them.
As stood there I noticed other subtle signals that summer was slipping away too soon. The coffee cup I was holding being the most obvious. I cupped it with both hands feeling the warmth of the ceramic cup, it warmed my hands and I thought of how just last week I was drinking iced mocha latte’s and enjoying their icy coldness.
I walk around my deck and kick the leaves off it. Yes, leaves on my deck is another sign. No there not tumbling off the trees and filling the gutters but it is odd to wake up each morning and find leaves scattered about the deck.
The apple and pear trees out front are both beginning to drop their fruit, the branches becoming heavy as the weather cools. I know if I arise early enough I can also catch a few deer munching on the fallen apples.
For some reason I suddenly think of my bathing suit sitting on the cedar chest in the closet. I’ve worn it exactly once this summer. Ah, the bathing suit, one of the most powerful examples of summer fun and freedom. Lounging around on the beach, splashing in and out of the water, feeling the warmth of the sand, reading a book and invariably falling asleep to the gentle sound of the crashing waves. A day at the beach is always on the summer checklist of things to do.
Unfortunately, I haven’t made it to the beach this summer and chances are pretty good I won’t and my swimsuit will sit on the cedar chest taunting me of missed opportunities. If I put it away I would be admitting defeat, defeat of all the summer activities I never got around to, never found time for. I rationalize that there’s just never enough time but I know it’s more than that. Admitting that certain activities have become less important and certain activities are more difficult (I’ve long since said goodbye to running as a form of exercise), I realize that the approaching end of summer means something more.
I think of the missed opportunities more than the activities accomplished. Perhaps that’s just being human, we tend to contemplate loss and the negative aspects of loss more than success. So for now I’ll leave the bathing suit sitting on the cedar chest and hope for a few more really hot summer days. I put my sweatshirt next to it in case I need it tomorrow morning as I sip my coffee and watch the deer grazing in the bean field.
Peace and Love,
John
John's Blog 