Hello September! Many are not loving that you are here already as our best friend summer is ending. We are not fans of more darkness, temperatures that drop faster than a Playmate on a mechanical bull nor lugging out the winter clothes and stressing out the washing machine. See, we have grown used to the sun scorching us, the cicadas warning us that it could be a warm one and the arm exercises of bug swatting, but, no matter how much we complained, we loved it. We were outside for hours enjoying the sunrise, the sunset, the sounds of motorcycles, the birds chirping, the basketball bouncing at the courts, the sweet sound of the children laughing and screaming “look mom/dad.” But, most of all we enjoyed the time off to be able to see all this as summer is a time to vacation, spending countless hours with friends and families at BBQs, heading out to the beach pretending that the tomato like skin we have was just because we missed spots with sunscreen …but really, we most enjoyed the time off from wearing long sleeves, long pants, a sweater, a sweatshirt, a coat.
Summer Freedom
Summer is freedom. The kids are out of school which is exciting and stressful.The exciting part is the morning chaos of backpacks packed, the forgotten science project in the middle of the night, the homework, the quizzing for spelling tests and parent taxi service is taking a break. We have the freedom to be able to leave it all behind us and refresh and regroup. This is our time to be free. Free from the grayness that looms over us as we drudge through the same routine week after week throughout the year, the freedom of being off of work and just being lounge lizards at the beach or making butt impressions on the patio furniture with the citronella candle burning to the end. Summer provides us so much daylight that we feel invincible. We stay up later, we have the laughter with friends over some cold ones, the smell of the barbeque engulfs us as we walk outside, but this is that sign of freedom. We are free from the snow shovels, the ice scrapers, the winter coats, the layers of clothes that make us feel so stifled.
September Blues
September comes and we feel stifled again. The kids are going back to school and if you are like me, you are giving a standing ovation as this day is approaching. Back to school is a wonderful time. Our children are embarking on a whole new grade and that makes us proud. But, this brings on new challenges as who has to be where when, new school clothes, school supplies, new drop off or bus schedules as we are trying to get back into the groove of work. September blues are real as we are now in a new pattern. We had that schedule down last year and felt like a well oiled machine but now we are unsure. How does this fit into the summer freedom as we got very comfortable with being able to look outside and see the trees, the swimming pool, the grass, hamburger and hotdog rolls and let’s not forget the empty desk of the coworker who was on vacation. Damn you September, you take it all away from us. But what does it bring …
September Greens
September does not have to be so blue. It has lot of green to it. It has lawns that do not need to be mowed as often, it has a whole lot less of the landscaper blowers in the neighborhood at 7am, and it means a time to be rejuvenated with a renewed focus. September for me has always been the start of the year in a way as it is when the mind is very busy but the body yearns for that swim in the pool, the picnic at the park, the giggles and laughter that the long days of summer bring. September is my mind’s fiscal year as I have more work energy (imagine) in September and October than I do in January or February. January is when many are setting goals and making resolutions. And, because the fiscal year is generally at that time, it makes sense, however don’t we have it wrong where we are setting goals for business and personal in a time of year that is cold, dark and certainly not handsome? Shouldn’t it be where we set goals coming off a warm, light and quite handsome time? We are in a rut of being inside a lot, daylight is limited but yet we are expected to perform at our best. Maybe the schools have it right by starting at the end of summer and slowly easing the kids into hard core work by the winter?
If we think about September as a means of rejuvenation and renewed fervor for what we do, doesn’t that make September green? For business owners, unless if they are summer businesses, they are gearing up for some green. Retailers are smelling it, industry folks know that you have been on vacation and now your mind is ready, focused and feeling the need to maybe catch up on what you missed. You may have missed a lot and trying to get your game on may require delving into the wallet as opposed to researching and reading all the “free” posts on what you missed. That is the beauty of September. It is the green that we do not think about much. Many companies are starting to think about next year. They are starting to look at what they did and with whom they did it with and while they are not really ready to plan so much for next year, if you are thinking September green and giving all that you got, they just might give you the green when most are in the hard core blues.
HELLO September
Hello September and FOOTBALL. I love me my football and am so excited to be in the heart of it all this year. My son, Andrew, is over zealous with being old enough to finally play football this year, my sister teaches in HS so we will be sure to go and support them, and, who knows the JETS just might have the loudest voice in 12 years at the Meadowlands (I know it has a new name, but it always and forever will be the Meadowlands to us old timers) with a lil one that is almost as loud as ME (as Chris Brogan and Rob Hatch shake their heads wondering how can anyone else hit those decibles)
However, September, please be kind to us all and let us ease into the darkness and chilliness. It is no different than what we ask of Spring – give us some sun so we can get some color and not have to be so stark when the beach days arrive.
While we will miss the summer and its freedom, let’s welcome September as the summer party cannot last forever!
photo credit:
