Aug. 18, 2008 - The Many Faces of August
For some reason August seems like the month of organization. Being the month before school starts I get into almost a “nesting” mode in a mad frenzy to get the house in order before school starts. Once school starts I know that I will need all my focus and all my energy on getting everyone established in the new routine and on the school work itself. There will be no time for extra projects such as cleaning out a hall closet or organizing the bathroom shelves. And for some reason part of me longs to begin the first day of school with everything clean and fresh. Yet organization continues to elude me.
August is also a time to finish projects that were started in the summer – those projects that there is no time for during the school year. There is much scrapbooking I would like to do. There is also some writing and publishing work that I need to do. It calls me like a task master, counting off the days that are left before the fall commitments take over my time.
But August is supposed to be a holiday month. This is the month (along with July, but July is generally spent doing many things that were put off until then because there was no time for them in the previous school year) which is supposed to refresh. This is the month to rest in – those “lazy days of summer” that were sung of years ago. And part of me (a large part if I were to admit the truth) wants to use every last day of August for that purpose. The calendar daily reminds me that this time is slipping away and soon we will be donning sweaters and spending long hours in our books and in the car driving to activities and band classes.
These three faces of August pull at me constantly. I have done some organizing in the last couple of weeks. I have done some writing and some publishing work. I have done some scrapbooking and even given myself some time on the back deck during the warmer days to read. I gave up on my novel of the summer. Every year I take an old book from my “old book” shelf to read. This year it was “The Crimson West” by Alex Philip, publish date unknown, but it belonged to my grandmother and was probably purchased in the 1920’s or earlier. It wasn’t bad – after all, I love a good western! - but I was interrupted by another book that I had to write a review of for a homeschooling magazine. The book I reviewed was very good and I didn’t mind “having” to read it, but when I finished and went back to my old novel I was a bit lost. Who was that character again? The plot is interesting, but doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere. There is nothing to grab me and pull me back into finishing it.
And now I have all the kids’ first semester books for their Omnibus course on my table. And they look soooo good! There is a Dorothy Sayers mystery that I am dying to read! But the first book they’ll be reading this fall is “The Church History” by Eusebius. I picked it up and began to read the first part and it was so interesting I have all but abandoned “The Crimson West.” I feel like I “should” finish it. There is something that feels wrong about not finishing a book. But I am compelled at the moment to read Eusebius. And to do so on the deck out back, enjoying the last warm summer days before the fall chill hits.
So as the many faces of August beckon, I choose once again to follow my heart to the sunshine on the deck, to read the book I truly enjoy, to watch my children play in the last dog days of summer. Oh, and we’re bbq’ing beefies for supper tonight, so I don’t even have much to prepare! What a glorious afternoon it will be!
Comments
Aug. 18, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Jacqueline
Yeah, I'm torn as to what to do these days too. I want to enjoy the last days of summer, but I need to prepare for the new school year. What to do!?!
Sep. 1, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by molytail
"There is something that feels wrong about not finishing a book."
*grin* I used to feel that way too - then it dawned on me that, hey, there's only so much time in the day and I am *not* spending it stuck reading a borrrrrrrring book. A great book should grab you and drag you in so far that you're never quite sure if you'll ever find the way out -- that's what I look for. :-)
August just flew right by here - it didn't even really seem like August...it rained a lot and we were constantly busy...actually, the whole summer has been like that (minus the rain) ....y'know, we hardly did any of the normal summer stuff this year - beaches and parks and everything.... but then, I hear September is supposed to be oddly warm, so perhaps we'll have a chance to catch a few of those up. :-)
http://molytail.blogspot.com/
