Summer is always a bit of a disappointment for me. I anticipate the warm weather, gardening, hiking, biking, time to read, and schedule change. Yet, as we find ourselves at the end of a summer month, I become sad to see just how little biking or reflecting I've actually accomplished this summer. Every summer is like this to some degree. While we may be tempted to ask, "why is summer treating me this way?", we really should be reevaluating our expectations.
Are we expecting summer time to not require cooking, cleaning, parenting, or unexpected tasks? If we spend 3 hours per day homeschooling our kids, then gaining those 3 hours can be a fun change in pace. However, it's 3 hours. It's time to catch up on some cleaning, or visit the beach, but it's definitely not enough time to add a part time job. My school obligations for June and July certainly drop, although not altogether - we start a summer review arithmetic course this week, did you hear? My home obligations increase dramatically for June and July. There are family picnics, huge gardens, farming tasks, school prep, extra cleaning, and all of those things we dream of doing - biking, hiking, etc. A little perspective can help me set realistic expectations of myself and of my summer.
What are you doing with your extra 15 hours per week this summer? gardening, cleaning more, decluttering, or taking one day per week to hit the beach? Whatever you choose to do, may you do all for the glory of God and be thankful He's given you the gift of time.