Reflections On August

At the end of each month, I try to remember to go back through all the photos I took during the month and remember some of the days and events which sometimes seem so long ago.  As I looked back just now, I found a screen shot from Instagram that I took on August 1st.  It says:

“August is the border between summer and autumn; it is the most beautiful month I know.”

  Tove Jansson

Now I must admit that August has never been my favorite month but I decided when I read that to try to enjoy it the best I could.  I guess the reason August has always had such a bad reputation is because I love fall so much and at this point I am longing for the cooler, shorter days and all that goes with that.  I haven’t done it perfectly but I have tried to see, think about and appreciate all that August has to offer.  And in the process of enjoying the month, it has flown past faster than ever before.

You might remember from a past entry here that I prefer to follow the Meteorological Calendar rather than the Astronomical Calendar and this week is one of the main reasons.  According to the Meteorological Calendar, September 1 is the beginning of Fall.  Whether or not it should, I feel this fact validates my decision to find a few more fall like decorations for our home, plan what to plant for fall and find a new way to cook some kind of dessert with apples in it.  I realize that it will still be hot for quite some time but the signs are there if you look for them.  

Another quote that I found last year that seems very appropriate is this:

“It is still summer, but the summer is no longer alive.  It has come to a standstill; nothing withers, and fall is not ready to begin.”  Also by Tove Jansson, The Summer Book  

So I have been taking particular notice of what I see outside and how things are changing.  The ferns in the woods which were among the first signs of spring are now brown and burned by the heat.  They are dying back to rest until next year.  The fawns’ spots are fading and the bucks have velvety racks that grow steadily by the week.  The garden is tired and ready to be put to rest as it pushes out the final fruits of all its hard work.  The beauty berry bushes have bloomed and put on berries that are quickly ripening, all in the past few weeks.  We have olives turning from green to black and grapes sweetening to their peak.  Overhead, we see birds that travel through every year to prepare for the coming season and the big oak tree in the front yard has maturing acorns ready to feed all the animals very soon.  There is so much to see if you watch for it. 

During the past month we have visited the coast with family and enjoyed the sights and smells of the amazing coastal waterways as well as the beautiful skies that accompany them.  We have had our three grandsons here who have a contagious enthusiasm for our farm and all that we can do here.  And during all of this, something I just learned about enjoying each day has made the month so much more special.  It is called the Sacrament of the Present.  I have thought about this principle for some time but a description of it in a novel I was reading helped me to apply it better.

“The sacrament of the present moment.

...this idea of how sacred each moment of a life truly is if we view it with purpose, with love, with gratitude and mindfulness.  Children understand the idea intuitively.  Adults forget.  The past and future are the devil’s playground-the place he can torture us with regret and anxiety.  The present is rarely a place of suffering.” Erika Robuck

So, here’s to the coming month which will inevitably pass too quickly.  May we all enjoy each day as we are able.