Our misconceptions about summer

Ah summer, the endlessly long days of sunshine and energy. Everyone wants to do things and be outside and socialise and take the world by storm. We come out of our winter slumber, ready to hit the road running.

Except, summer isn’t perfect. If you live in places like the UK, you probably didn’t even get that much sunshine! But more than the weather, summer isn’t some magical time of year that fixes all our problems – as much as we may wish it was.

You still get tired in summer. Still get sick or injured. Still have fallings out with loved ones. Still get stressed. Still get stuck in your creative projects. Still get rain.

I think we hold summer to a high standard, placing it in this pedestal of expectations that are just too unattainable. Then we get disappointed and frustrated. But we made the mistake in thinking this way in the first place.

I have seen summer over the last four years of working in education as a time to go full steam ahead towards my writing goals. To finish lengthy drafts of novels. But I also want to read at least 6 books (one a week), targeting the bigger and more literary ones. And this year, I wanted to do all the yoga, and train more advanced. To become a runner again. To experiment with baking and food and my hair. To see people and have bbqs and picnics. To be outside as much as possible. All the things.

But summer days are still only 24 hours! And you’re still human even in this season. You have your limits.

I feel like I wasted my summer stressing myself out. If I could reset the clock, I’d go a lot slower with my writing, and take half the things off my to do list. I’d allow myself long, slow reading days more without feeling lazy. I’d say no to people.

But I can’t turn back the clock and now September calls…

What can I do about it all now? Learn from my mistakes. There’s four months left in the year and the perfectionist overachiever in me wants to push and get the novels done. I want to finish my yoga training. I want to do all the things. I want to rush to read more books so I can reach the 50 mark. I want to impress…I don’t even know who!

But I need to learn this very valuable lesson and apply it to my life, right now. Not next year, but now. I need to love and appreciate and celebrate having tried even if I didn’t finish things.

Things to be proud of and happy about this summer (even though I didn’t finish my projects)Started doing 5km park runs every Saturday morning (and decided I like my technique of run-fast walk-run-fast walk-run)Read 5 booksWrote upwards of 65,000 words across various drafts and on this blog Socialised quite a bit Helped my Nan and my mom out in their time of need Ran my fastest 5kmRan my fastest 1km (not the same day as my fastest 5km)Made a plan for editing my finished drafts over the last 6 years so I can utilise themHad a reading day (the only day I felt no pain in my shoulder…) Started the 30 day explorer yoga challenge with Charlie Follows (advanced my practice, actually managed side crow!) Had a 5,000 word writing dayReconnected with my husband Renewed my library card and read 3 library books Learned what my reading tastes are Experimented with my writing style Did a family Olympics Rode my bike Learned a few new recipes Visited the beach and went into the sea Started my yoga training Did yoga and meditated outsideRoughly planned out a writing course that I may release one day Had counselling again Watched some artsy independent and acclaimed unique films on MUBIStarted eating more fruit (banana in porridge has been great!) Learned to rest (an ongoing project!)

There may be more that I’m not remembering, or don’t yet consider to be worthwhile. The thing is, we get so focused on what we didn’t do that we forget what we did do. We put such heavy pressures on ourselves that we don’t even celebrate our wins.

Lastly, I’ll say that why only live for summer? We can plan and socialise and have fun…gasp…any time of the year! Yes, there’s less sunshine but that’s not a guarantee for summer anyway, which this year proved. Have a bbq in October. Have a picnic in march. Write your novel slowly, across a whole year, instead of in the 6 weeks’ summer break. Why not?

Heys why not?

Sincerely,

S. xx