This last summer, I felt a need to intentionally slow myself down and because I had been in a few seasons of hustling, I wanted to really soak up time with my kids.
Summer is a big season of summer camps, outside play, popsicles and pool time. I'm not always as ready for the summer when it gets here but this year, I intended to honor the season.
For myself, I noted it as the 'Summer of Play'.
I decided to be intentional with that time and it meant a change in my mindset to make sure it happened.
I'm not great at play but I decided that I could work at it - I planned all kinds of fun things to do and time away from work to experience it. I made a sign to remind myself specifically to do that.
Real life doesn't necessarily follow the calendar. Not every season can be savored just as we hope, like I planned to savor this summer, but ...
every
season
can
be
honored.
On the blog, I refer often to living in or honoring your season, a calendar season or one where life circumstances have created a season for you.
Honoring your season doesn't mean trying to make a season be something that just won't fit. Sometimes, we don't get that luxury. We accept the current season for what it is, knowing that it won't always be this way.
But my life definitely won't always be this way. I'm painfully aware of the limited number of summers where I get this opportunity. Boys don't necessarily want to play with Mom forever so while they do, I'm all in.
My work still continued to be busy and all kinds of things came up but I made time to honor the season that I created... The Summer of Play.
The blog post that I reference the most on this subject: Honor your season
So how did it go?
I loved the days at our local water park. I scheduled some Fridays OOO to take the boys for lazy river rides and water slides, Chik Fil A sandwiches and whatever ice cream they picked from the snack bar.
I loved seeing my boys enjoy a few different camps during their summer break and being the DJ for morning drop off song requests. I can never hear "Eye of the Tiger" and not think of this summer.
I loved standing in line with my oldest son, who in his excited nervousness, kept saying, “We can't turn back now, Mom!" as we inched closer to his first rollercoaster ride.
I loved bringing the boys waffles spread with Nutella as they had a book sale in the front yard.
I loved exploring a cat cafe with one son and holding babies at church with the other.
I loved hammock time, reading new books and board games.... over screen times.
It was loud. It was sweaty. I had my fill of bathroom humor...
It makes me smiley to think back over the summer.
It was play but it was also just being absolutely present to witness our summer time. We tried new things and I carved out time to just be in it.
No call to action or vow for me to change anything….simply a recognition that some days work waited and our summer of play just happened, when I slowed down to pay attention to it.
A few picture highlights below from our summer of play. Thank you for following along.
Comments