Last year, a particular phrase started popping up around the internet that caught fire– the concept of Eighteen Summers. You know, how we have 18 summers from the time our kids are born until the time we ship them off to college. As is my nature, I started to panic.
Eighteen summers? EIGHTEEN SUMMERS? And I’ve already wasted 5 of them? ACK! I need to catch up! We need TO DO ALL THE SUMMER THINGS!
Then summer arrived, and I had deadlines to meet and kids to wrangle and I just could not get my rhythm. It was a hard summer. I was stressed. My kids were little, it was difficult to find any particular pattern that worked for us. I stayed up really late finishing blog posts, and waking up early with the kids, therefore getting very little sleep. It was exhausting and not very summer-y. Suddenly 18– wait, no only 14 more– summers filled me with panic; I’d just wasted one of them. No wait, four of them. Or was it six? YIKES! TOO MANY NUMBERS!
I vowed to do things differently this summer. I decided not to take on any paid posts aside from what I’d already committed to, and instead let my own content take center stage. Guest posters helped provide content with some great recipes in our Summer Salad Series. Instead of 3 posts a week, if I only had one really good post, I’d be totally cool with that. I promoted older posts and hoped they’d help pay the bills. The strategy worked and I had the highest pageviews yet! But most of all, instead of saying no to outrageous ideas like hiking with the kids solo or making the 9 hour trek to the Outer Banks to spend a few days with friends, I embraced the word YES. I said yes to just about everything that came our way.
We jumped.
We dreamed.
We became butterflies.
We got field seats for Billy Joel, and then got MOVED UP TO THE FRONT ROW.
We dressed up like Jamestown peeps, circa the 1600s.
We took the stairs. Okay, maybe not these stairs.
I hung out at Haven, meeting this guy (Chip Wade) and seeing good friends.
We ate ice cream. A LOT.
We rode the rides.
We slid down tree slides.
We (um, I) drank by the pool.
We were in the water (and our pajamas) every chance we got.
Even this guy.
I got on a plane. Three times.
We gazed.
We got our good clothes dirty while running on the beach with friends.
And we hiked through 27 spider webs.
Thousands of miles on the odometer later summer is finally, oh-so-sadly, over.
This is ONE SUMMER. Instead of stressing over making the most of 18 summers, we embraced our crazy.
Our crazy ONE SUMMER.
Summer didn’t end with a whisper. It ended with us squeezing in every ‘YES’ I could find. Every treat. Every 6PM trip to the pool for one last swim. Every rock they jumped and each puddle they splashed. It’s as if we’re sliding over homeplate, worn out and happy and tan and sunbleached and ready.
Ready to drop my daughter off at kindergarten, and amazingly shed not one tear.
I was emotional, sure, but how could I cry? I had an extra year at home with her, and to see her walk away with her class as they headed into the school building was incredible. This was a child who wasn’t supposed to be able to walk, let alone attend kindergarten.
Yet, here she is.
ONE SUMMER.
We squeezed all we could out of summer. No matter where we were, we were ALL THERE.
Life is so short. I can’t fathom 18 summers right now. I don’t know what will happen, how many summers we’ll really have together.
If our experience taught us anything, it’s to embrace gratitude and live for the moment.
Today as I vacuumed the beach sand and goldfish crackers and stickers out of my car with my little buddy by my side, all I could do was smile.
Well, smile and dream about next year. Our next ONE SUMMER.
nn says
BEAUTIFUL!!!! What a meaningful post…so uplifting. And great to see all the photo recaps of your wonderful summer!! Xoxo
Hope Williams says
How very insightful. If more parents took this approach to summer, kids would be more rounded. Way too many view summer as a major inconvenience.
I’m willing to bet there are some VERY happy kids in school today simply because mom said yes!
Blessings to all, Hope
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says
Such a wonderful post! I’m so happy you had such a wonderful summer, what a memory to hold onto, all of the yeses!! And how cute is your family, love them!!
Susan M. says
Beautifully written and such a poignant reminder to make a concerted effort to enjoy family, friends and day-to-day life.
Rebecca says
Aaaaw! We are so proud of all that your little girl has already accomplished in her life. When she was in the NICU, I prayed that she would have a happy life — whether or not she could walk or talk — I just hoped that she could and would be happy. Well, mission accomplished! Kindergarten is icing on the cake! You go, girl! 🙂
trish says
love. love. love. I know all about those girls who are not supposed to walk. . . .they always seem to run, don’t they?
xoxxo
Anonymous says
Now I am laughing and crying at the same time.
Cheers to those improbably running girls.
Laury Cote says
This is a great post. As a mom of an 18 year old boy and a 20 year old girl, this is still meaningful to me. When they were young I was stressed and thought everything needed to be perfect. When really all we need is to love them and be present in those moments. This is how we make the memories we reach for in winter. Perfect!
Sherry says
Great Post – Love the glimpse in to your summer… I never though about that I only have 4 more summer with my son before college- and 8 with my daughter.. this summer well kinda sucked with starting a new job.. I vow to work hard so next will be better. Thanks for the wake up call.
amy Renea says
So many smiles on my face right now 🙂
sarah hughes says
I love this post so very much!!! Your sweet family summer makes me smile!! xoxo
Reesa Lewandowski says
As I sit here on Kindergarten-Eve and miniseries about our summer, I can’t help but get teary eyed from your post.
I need to say YES more. WAY more.
<3
*cheers* until next summer!
Julia says
This is so beautiful I’m a bit teary eyed over it good for you!
Heather says
You have such a beautiful family!
Diane Hoeptner says
Wonderful writing and very lovely pictures, inspirational in fact! Thank you!