Summer's end?

I have been hearing it for weeks. It started as little comments, "I want to get X done before the summer is over," or "We want to go to (insert summer hot spot) at least once more before summer is over." In the last week or so, though, the comments have come with much more urgency. The lists have gotten longer. The voices more frantic. It starts to make my heart race, even though it isn't my list! I start to feel like maybe I am forgetting something, cheating my children of some phenomenal summer experience that will fortify them for the upcoming cold and create a memory that will last for the rest of their life! SUMMER IS ENDING!?!?! But we haven't.....

And then I remember: Summer isn't ending for us. It CAN go on. And all of the must do items will be less crowded. Yes, some of the things will be closed after labor day, a nod to the fact that once school is in session, the profits are no longer there to be made. The population which would continue to utilize those spaces is suddenly much, MUCH smaller. It is unfortunate, in some cases, such as the historical sites that are only open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Kiddo would love to still hit some of those throughout the fall. For the most part, however, we don't miss them. We don't generally go to amusement parks and the like, anyway. Their closure has little impact on us. We will miss the pools and beaches, but it is really only a few weeks before the weather turns and we would not be able to frequent them, anyway. Truthfully, the weather today would not be pool or beach weather anyway.

I have to remember, as I hear the to do lists, not to panic. One of the reasons we choose to homeschool is that we can make our own calendar. Summer doesn't have to end because the school bell rings. If we want to picnic in the park again, we can. If a beach worthy day does occur, then we can hit one of the beaches that is still open. We can still go to all the play spaces, and have them nearly entirely to ourselves. To be honest, the best part of our summer is about to begin!

I ALSO have to remember that my children are not deprived. They are lucky. They are privileged. They live in bounty. They experience joy and happiness daily, even if all we do is hang out at home and dance, read, sing, and play.

Enjoy this summer day!