The Business of Summer

Yesterday I hustled into yoga class a few minutes before class started. I looked to the back of the room, because I am kind of a back of the room student, who likes to do all of that forward bending in front of others? I tossed my mat out on the floor in a quick unfurling of lavender. I sat down and looked to my right and smiled at another regular. I looked to my left and was surprised to see a fellow teacher from the college. She and I have a purely acquaintance relationship, but she seems nice enough. We started the usual polite half-whispered (some people were pretending to meditate) conversation. She asked me about the classes I am teaching in the fall and I pretty much gave her a blank stare.

I have hardly given a thought to the fall. I am too busy with the business of summer. I gave her the most basic of responses before changing the subject to ask about her summer. She told me a bit about her time in Ireland and then asked what I have been up to. I took a deep breath and gave her the stats, but how can one really explain what it is to go about a proper summer?

I told her about travel, visits with friends, books read, art projects, etc.

A corner of my house

What I couldn't really explain was the way the sun looked in my backyard or how I've spent my days relishing a very little girl who grabs my hand and says,"Coooome on Mom," as she pulls me to some strange new game. Or about sitting on the couch with my husband and talking long after the sun has set.

Sunset

I didn't tell her about Cordelia's attempts to potty train the lawn animals.

Potty training the lawn animals. She put them all on and quoted Wonder Pets saying, "Teamwork"

I couldn't put into words the lunches spent with my father or coffee breaks with my mother. Drives with Sam, and phone calls with Ben were totally omitted. I didn't tell her about walks with two dogs and a stroller (a sight to behold) as we avoid the house with the largeblack poodle named Noodles.

Or about Cordelia's first time playing in the sprinkler.

Swimsuit

The sprinkler

I didn't think to mention mornings spent cleaning and playing, afternoons spent sewing, or evenings crocheting.

A project

I left out snuggles and kisses with my girl. I didn't talk about juicy berries and pink lemonade. Lawn mowers, open windows, painting, cleaning, baking, ripe tomatoes,warm breezes,weed pulling, hiking to the waterfall, lilacs, lazing about and all the rest were completely passed over.

So finally I just told her that I was having a wonderful summer. How is your summer?