Hello,
Some of my clients are deep in the mehs right now.
Their melancholy is rooted in that particular late-August feeling: summer slipping into the past. As summer yields to fall, the hand of productivity and structure starts tightening its grip. Gah. Boo.
(Not the usual happy imagery I tend to favor.)
But I feel it, too. Last week sunset was after 8PM, now it’s before 8. Leaves are starting to drop, and some are tinged with red. It’s cooler. Wetter. There’s that unmistakable end-of-August feeling in the air.
Some people love this part—the return to structure, routines, school, schedules, fresh notebooks and a little more order. I’m more conflicted.
I love a cool night on the beach, wearing a hoodie and nursing a sunburn. I love the expansiveness of summer, the sense that there is nowhere you have to be and plenty of time to get there. And this second half of August breaks my heart a little. Especially this year.
Kids are heading off to college. Candy corn is already in my grocery store, which feels aggressive. And I’m savoring the acidic sweetness of the last heirloom tomatoes, knowing that soon enough they’ll be gone, too. It’s bittersweet.
And maybe that’s the point: the sadness of summer ending is evidence that a good summer was had.
So rather than rushing to “get back on track,” I’ve been thinking about a different question:
What can you bring with you into September? What did summer give you that you don’t want to lose when the calendar gets busier?
Maybe it’s more time outside. More pleasure. More spontaneity. More hammock time. More sex. More adventure. More naps. More saying yes.
What if those things don’t have to be relegated to the loose, playful, season-of-abundance category? What if you could build some of that spaciousness into the structure?
That’s the work I’m interested in right now—not choosing between pleasure and productivity, but figuring out how they can coexist.
Because structure doesn’t have to mean squeezing the life out of things. Maybe September can hold both: a little more discipline, and a lot of what made you feel alive.
IN OTHER NEWS…
I’ve stepped up my social media game. I’m posting on LinkedIn twice a week, with videos and words, which means I am officially someone who has a “content strategy.” 😂 So if you’d like to engage with me come play.
I’ve also been reading. Friends have turned me on to The Overstory, which I’m enjoying, but this summer has mostly been about me, Michael Pollan, psychedelics, and consciousness. I like to keep it light. I enjoyed How To Change Your Mind, and am trying to make my way through through A World Appears, which is a heavier lift.
Summer also allowed for two viewings of The Odyssey in theaters. It’s good, real good, and deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Finally, I have spent an inordinate amount of time in my hammock. I have no intention of stopping just because September is coming. I’ll add blankets. And pillows. And I’ll hammock my way into fall.
Some things are worth carrying forward.
Allison
