What did you do on your summer vacation?

Ah, September and the smell of books is in the air. Even after many years, it’s hard not to think of this time as “back-to-school”. Of course, my daughters are getting ready to do just that, so it’s not that hard to forget. September always feels like a mini-new year to me, maybe even more so than the actual one. Any new year marks a time for reflection, reviewing past goals and accomplishments and setting new ones. I never get as much writing done as I imagine I will in the summer. The promise of loose schedules leads more toward chaos than it does free time. There’s such a hustle and bustle to the summer, a desire to enjoy every golden moment before it’s gone, do all the summer things and then ask ourselves at the end, Did we do everything we meant to?

Back-to-school, means back to schedules. I do well with schedules and routines. I enjoy the freedom of summer, the non-scheduled, spontaneous activity—but there’s a certain comfort in the confinement of routine, a knowing what you should be doing and when you should be doing it. And don’t forget to schedule in that writing time. Mine is in the morning, before the world is up. The long summer nights have meant I’ve stayed up too late and often missed my scheduled writing time.

I always loved the excitement of the new school year, cracking open the books as the leaves turned colour and the air became crisp, sweaters replaced shorts and bathing suits got lost in the closet. And someone telling me what I need to be doing/reading/studying, next, someone guiding me. The great thing of being out of school, is learning what you want to learn, and when–truly, self-directed education. Now I have freedom, but that freedom can mean I’m going off in too many directions. Can I ever find that focus I had when I worked on my “education”? But back then I didn’t have a house and kids to look after, and a job. It was a minimalist life, looking after myself and only a small apartment to take care of.

All will be back to normal soon as the days get shorter and bedtime comes earlier, till I find myself up before the sun–it’s already happening. In past Septembers, I’ve taken courses, mostly online. Right now, I’m taking Malcolm Gladwell’s masterclass—and enjoying it thoroughly. He’s a delight to listen to. But again, maybe too much freedom. I can listen whenever I want, but there’s no urgency to get it done. Malcolm advises us to follow our curiosity, which I love. But there I go, off on another tangent.

Perhaps I can catch moments of that focus, if not that intensity.  Am I serious enough? Or am I too serious—not having enough fun? One of my objectives this summer was to get lots of swimming in. It was a hot and sunny summer and I’m happy to say I did, at least enough to satisfy me. Last week, our writers group met for a social evening, reminding me I’m not alone in what I love to do. I look forward to the coming school year, to getting more work done. But maybe we have time for one more trip to the beach before we call it the end of summer.