And then it was June and a new season had bloomed. Honestly, summer is not my favorite season but the older I get the more I realize that there is something to love about every season. A metaphor for life too, I think. Hello pretty flowers! Hello fresh food! Hello sleeping in (til 6:30)! Hello not making breakfast and lunch for Emma every day! Hello reading wish list that I'm finally going to tackle! Hello thurnderstormy days!
We adore a thunderstormy day around here. All of us. Well except Millie who is afraid of loud sounds.
These past weeks have been full of dinners at friend's homes and dinners at ours, field trips, awards ceremonies and orchestra concerts. There have been loads of laundry, window cleaning, ironing and cookie baking.There have been magazines to read, a porch to build and flower planting. So much flower planting. Somewhere around 45 new flower friends. There was a trip to Missouri and a few days of farm living.
There was coming home. To this. Sigh. There has been scooter selling, porch furniture ordering and getting back to exercise routines.
There has been rain water collecting, wind chime listening and bird watching. But most all of there has been a deep need for some quiet in my life. Quiet to allow me to hear what's important. Choosing the quiet over the chaos. I'm finding I have less and less room in my life for chaos. And selfishness. And comparison. And negativity.
So a new season and a new view. And very soon a new view from my porch too. These are good days. Hope yours are too.
I know of which you speak. Those slow paced days of enjoying life's simple pleasures make me the happiest. I don't like hot summer days, but a nice warm sunny day does wonders for the soul. Enjoy your flowers and down time with your family during this very short season, Jen!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Jen. I love how you keep discovering more and more of your true self. You are so blessed to be living your life as you are-but you now that! Blessings and enjoy every moment of your summer- xo Diana
ReplyDeletethey are good days...and beautiful ones as well xo
ReplyDeleteGood days indeed! Quiet is always good so that you can really find what is important for ourselves. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been busy - but a good busy. Glad you're finding time for mindfulness in your life, too. We all need that. But 6:30 a.m. is sleeping in?!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree Melanie but my body has been trained and I am a morning person. Plus there is so much light streaming into my room right now It would be impossible to sleep later unless I had a pillow over my face!
Deleteit all sounds absolutely wonderful ♥ love your calendar & photo of your sweet cat watching the rain come down xo
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of summer either, well the heat of summer anyway. Everything else is quite lovely. Hoping to get time to post myself on the happenings in our yard. And I would love to have an hour....or two, to sit and read on my porch. Have a delightful day!
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful post. I do love summer. The season I am not fond of it late winter, Jan and Feb....
ReplyDeleteSummer is also not my favorite season and I like your idea of looking at the positives and good things it brings. (Love the photo of your kitty on the back of the chair!)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post...inspiring. I haven't blogged in months.
ReplyDeleteSummer has never been my favorite either but this year I am also trying to enjoy the little simple pleasures that can be found in this season.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your finished porch, I love porches :)
Your days and mine sound very similar right now- orchestra concerts included! Though I WISH I could say porch building was on my list.! And instead of 45 new flower friends in my garden, we have 45 or around there new stones steps added to our pathway- all installed by yours truly. So add backache to my list. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love this post. You've painted a vivid picture of what your days are like right now. And I say yes to letting go of comparison and chaos and negativity.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, each season serves its purpose.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the table and bench in that last photo.
Love your blog. Very relaxing :) What is the paint color of your picnic benches outside. I have many of the same colors in my house. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is Sherwin Williams Aqueduct which I cut with a little white.
DeleteI normally am not a fan of the summer heat, but now that I work in a school, summer is becoming a time that I'm very much looking forward to :) Here is to days to spend on the good stuff.
ReplyDeletei so enjoy seeing glimpses from around your home, jen!!! it looks like you've been having a wonderful summer so far... yay for new flower friends and i can't wait to see that front porch of yours... i just know it'll be as lovely as the rest of your home... have a happy weekend, friend!!!
ReplyDeleteI too have not always loved summer. When the kids were younger it was hard to keep them busy all summer long. Now that they are older I cherish summer time and the ,longer days that come with summer. I look at summer as our downtime. We eat meals outside, take family field trip and just enjoy the season. I just posted about my love for summer vacation.
ReplyDeleteI just love your new picnic table and can not wait to see more pictures of your porch.
Enjoy your weekend!
Perfectly said! You make it all seem so cozy and slow....as it should be! Love your wall calendar, where is it from, if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteI have promised myself to enjoy every single moment of June, the summer seems to be rushing toward us so fast! June is the prettiest month, the garden is just beginning and the air is so fresh and not yet oppressively hot. I love your new picnic table in that pretty summery color, and I covet your cup collection!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of heat but I love the days of summer I get to myself. Time for myself. Time to homemake and create. Have a good summer! Kit
ReplyDeleteJen, I am not a fan of summer either. But, like you, I'm trying to think positively about it! Keep choosing the quiet over the chaos. So many people are caught up in out-busying everyone they know. Don't fall for it!
ReplyDeleteLove your big stack of books. I am heading to the library tomorrow so I will be sure and take a list from your stack and the comments. Enjoy your summer to the fullest!
ReplyDeletesummer has always been my least favorite season as well, though this year, it seems welcome (except GA heat.) :) your garden looks lovely and i dream of getting to visit, sit on your porch, chat in your studio (and play of course!) some day!
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