Summer's Whistle

It’s rolling ‘round the bend. I can see it in the not-so-far distance.  I can hear its whistle blowing. It’s coming. And won’t be stopped.  It’s fun. It’s hot. It’s busy. It’s a lotta kids, a lotta the time. And though I know, know, know I’m that person who desperately needs alone time (every day!), I can honestly say, I am really looking forward to summertime.

Its unstructured days, its rush-free mornings and stay-lighter, later nights. Fireflies at dusk, homegrown tomatoes from the garden, camping, swimming, hikes at the parks, bike rides on the greenways, snacks at Star Bagel, cookouts on the deck with families we love to hang out with, a trip to our beloved cottage in Northern Michigan . . . what could be better?

Well, there’s just one thing. And it’s a priority, albeit only to me. The one thing I know that could make that amazing list better costs nothing but means everything (to me). The secret ingredient? Just a little bit of “ME” time. And though it will take some doing, with the help of my alarm clock, some serious motivation to actually leave my warm, cozy bed, my coffee, and my kids’ cooperation, I’m going to pull this off. Yep, I’m gonna get up before the rest of the house most mornings and carve out an hour that is all my own. To write, to hope, to dream, to rant, to rail, to recharge, to be.

I announced my plan to the kids and my need for them to stay in their rooms until 7 a.m. during summer break. 7 a.m. people – still early in lots of families’ books.  But not these people! You would have thought I’d said I was locking them in there for three days with no food and water!! “We’ll starve!” Sage declares emphatically. I remind her that on most school mornings she tells me she’s not even hungry, that I have to coax her to eat eight blueberries and a piece of heavily buttered toast at 6:45 a.m. Just 15 minutes earlier than the 7 a.m. summer parole plan . . . to no avail.  She says, “Well, that’s just wrong. Not one bit fair. Taggart, can you believe what mom’s doing to us??”  And I’m like, believe it you dirty little (albeit adorable) rat!

Most days, most of the time - as so many moms can attest - what we do is about and for our kids and family. And, I’m all good with that (most of the time!).  But darn it if I can’t have one good hour – an hour that bodes better for the day ahead for all of us – without catching a little bit of grief.

But I’m at a place now where I know what I need. And I know this hour will do me (and them!) a world of good. It will set my day off on the right tone and the right note.  I can write, read my affirmations, and settle inside myself.  The hour allows me to be more mindful of what’s important to me and it’s from that centered space I plan to rock our summer.

It's whistling to us.  We’re racing toward it like dogs off their leashes bounding toward one another to say that happy hello. It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to be full of all the right things that each of us needs. It’s going to be rejuvenating. It’s going to be fun. (C’mon, say it all together now!) And I’m going to have my hour.  And they’re going to like it.

Because that will make me whistle too.