I WANNA DO OVER!
Well here it is…the day before the first day of school. If I weren't such a good Southern Christian woman I'd throw myself on the ground, pound my fists on the floor, kick my legs and scream uncontrollably....I WANNA DO OVER! But us Southern Christian gals just don't do that kind of thing - well not in public anyway!
I drove by a lake the other day on a whirlwind trip to pick
up last minute groceries and I saw THEM there…there they were... "The LAKE PEOPLE"! They were all tanned up with big white smiles
and there were sounds of laughter, crashing waves and all the other sounds that
relaxed, happy, vacationing people make!
"The Lake people" were having a glorious time. They were frolicking in the water, soaking up
the rays, skiing, boating, drinking tea on a pontoon… it all looked
lovely. I suddenly felt like Chevy Chase
in the Christmas Vacation movie where he is waiting on the Christmas bonus,
looking out the window and day dreaming of the pool he will buy with it (however there was not a naked girl in my day dream as there was in Chevy's or a naked man for that matter! Southern Christian women don't day dream like that either).
Truth of the matter is; I don’t even like swimming in a
lake, or skiing or boating and yet I found myself lusting. Lusting after that
lifestyle – laid back, adventurous, frivolous, having days where there is
nothing on the agenda and not a care in the world! I often wonder what "The Lake People" do in
their free time? I can’t even imagine
but I’m sure it’s just something glorious and filled with fun, fun and more
fun! I imagine they swim, boat and ski
by day and enjoy tiki torch lit barbecue dinners on their patio in the evening and
then go out for a quick pontoon ride as the sun goes down! And they have
perfectly shaped bodies and just hang out in their bikini swim suits all day
eating fresh pineapple and taking naps on the Lanai. I don’t really know what a Lanai is, but
it sounds lovely and I’d very much like to nap there too! And the Lake People have big fat pay checks
that just show up mysteriously in their mailboxes and they deposit them from
their phone as they lay on a raft drifting in the water! Oh…the Lake People!
As I look back on my summer calendar I see that out of the
past 8 weekends I had only one with no agenda and that was this past weekend,
which I did enjoy immensely with my family. The highlight of the summer was an afternoon
where I took Hannah to a local zoo for the afternoon! We went to a friend’s pool to swim one time –
one stinkin time I swam this summer!! I WANNA DO OVER!
I love Facebook as I lived vicariously through others
looking at the pictures of their vacations and wondering if they are actually "The
Lake People" and this is what they do in their spare time – take vacations
elsewhere!
As I experienced yet had another crazy hectic day on this final day of Summer
Vacay I found myself kind of feeling sorry for myself, and a little jealous,
bitter, upset, envious, snarky – (insert your own adjective here). Better yet, just look up “Poor Pitiful Me” in the
dictionary for a full description!
So, it made me reflect on my summer. The Lazy Days of summer they were not; as
every day was filled with something. And
that IS a good thing right? My days may
not have been lazy wonderful fun filled days lounging on the beach or that
Lanai thingy but they were, in fact, filled!
And they were filled with many good things. The older I get the more I
realize what a blessing it is to have days that are filled with activity – as
one day I may wish that I had more activity or long for these activity filled
days! Believe me, several trips to visit the nursing home will constitute an attitude check real quick! So, just in case you need a list
of the good things of my summer (I know I need to see a list) here goes:
 |
| ...and we had ice cream except I look like I just had a long spoon! |
3. I
started a business with my husband and...
4. I
scoured the countryside with him finding treasures to sell in our shop
5. I
got to know many new friends as we watched our daughters play ball together and.... 6. I
had the privilege of watching my healthy, able bodied daughter play ball
7. I
attended weddings
8. I
celebrated the home going of an uncle.
9. I held a sweet newborn babe!
10. I got to sleep later than 5 a.m. every single
day
11. And
stay up late…
I saw gorgeous flowers, colorful birds, smelled freshly mowed
hay, witnessed a Blue Moon, saw fireflies, made s’mores and went to bed
smelling like a campfire a couple of times. Although, I'd still like to experience a few care free days...it wasn't such a bad summer after all!
How was your summer?
I hope it was filled….with good…with normal…with blessings!
