The years of our lives are like the months of the year......

Dawn, August 1, 2013

If months were the decades of our lives, August would be our 40’s. The 40’s comfortable practiced, bloated.  August, a bit tired, hot and the end.  The end of the summer day, the beginning of the turning leaves.  August leaves me melancholy.  Leaves me thinking about what has already passed:  did I waste my time?  Did I squander those precious moments of summer whether they were work days or not? And what of life?  Did I waste my youth?  My 20’s or 30’s?  Heck, aren’t I still 35?  How did I wake up one morning eight years older? 

If August is our 40’s, then certainly we can see it this way:

March and April are birth and youth.  May, the first flower of summer is the time that we are teens.  June, when summer officially arrives and peaks is our 20’s.  July, the days grow shorter, but each day is one of bright sun and skies, the possibilities are endless.  This is our 30’s.  August, the month of the dying day.  Nature understands….no longer do the birds wake at 3:30 and when they do greet the dawn, it is not the song of the robin you hear, it’s a mockingbird or bluejay.  The robins will still appear, but their time has passed.

September is still summer, but it changes to fall, just as our 50’s starts fresh, strong, healthy, and fades as we near 60.  The nights are cool, the leaves will turn, the birds will leave for the south.  The last harvest occurs…..the last chance to produce.

October is a beautiful month when the leaves turn and the days are bright and sunny.  We are used to the autumn now just as a person in their 60’s has the comfort of what they learned in their 50’s.  But November is more difficult.  Tired, grey, cold, at times snow.  The green is turning brown, the leaves have left the trees.  At times a vibrant reminder of life peaks out….a late summer apple is found, a bright red cardinal streaks across the sky.  A warm breeze blows. This is our 70’s.

Like winter, the time given is short, days are filled with resting.  The earth rests, we rest.  Winter is the time of our 80’s and beyond until our rebirth.  Just like nature, we live in a cycle.  There is always hope.  The solstice brings the turn towards more sunlight…..spring is coming!  Everything will awaken over again.

What is my point?  It’s awfully sad to sit here on the first day of August lamenting the end of summer when that end is still 7 weeks away.  So maybe that is my point.  Yes, August sometimes reminds me that May, June and July have already passed.  That summer is on the downward slide.  But it’s not over yet!!!!  Just as being 43 does not signal the end of the time that I am at my best. 

There is something beautiful to be found in every season.  There is something beautiful to be found at every age.  If we spend too much time thinking about “then” (past or future) we are not thinking about now.  We are not engaged in that beautiful moment.  Something woke me this morning at 5 AM.  The sky was growing light; so instead of turning over and going back to sleep, I got out of bed and went outside.  It was true dawn, not quite full daylight, peaceful, cool, but warm enough to stand in my nightgown.  Across the street in the mulberry, the mockingbird was singing his own song.  A sliver of moon stood out in the blue above me, far away, a jet streaked across the sky.

The lyrics of a well-loved song come to mind:

I dig my toes into the sand

The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds

Strewn across a blue blanket

I lean against the wind

Pretend that I am weightless

And in this moment I am happy, happy

•  INCUBUS - WISH YOU WERE HERE

I had planned to write this post already.  My early morning inspiration was perfectly timed.  

Today is August 1, 2013.  

This day will never happen again.  

Enjoy it!