Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ― Henry James
You may recall I said I was going to write about living all of summer as if it were Saturday. Where have I been with this? A little bit of everywhere. There’s no denying I’m my best self in summer.
I fika with a full heart, I walk with no agenda or time restraint, and I play. We’ve been spending countless hours at the pool, wandering freely with stops and scenes both old and new. In essence, we’re very Saturday(ish).
This week I made a significant effort to do the small things that bring big feelings. Growing up my mom made sun tea, which signaled a slow down and some need for visitors and solid conversation. I made my first batch of sun tea, which truly tastes much better than any other way. I took a trip to a local bakery for a fika, made copious cups of coffee, and daydreamed. The latter was elongated by the smell of freshly cut grass and a patio finally available for true R&R. I did all these things on a weekday because 1.) it’s summer and 2.) it’s good to do things without schedule or calendar coordination.
Our contemporary culture relies on weekends for some variation of rest, fun, or passionate play. But why is that reserved solely for Saturdays? And why do we need to make everything extraordinary? I relish the ordinary and the serenity simplicity brings.
So what are you doing to bring more Saturday into your every day?
The Forty Files 