Bittersweet Summer by Robin

August was a total whirlwind of activity for our family.  We vacationed on two separate occasions...which I will share in an upcoming blog post.  And, in between, I came home sick, not to mention jet-lagged and totally overwhelmed with email and countless other to-do items.

After our second trip, Seth was home with me.  Camp had ended.  And, we had two weeks together.  While at times it was a challenge to keep him busy, I enjoyed knowing he was around.  And, thankfully, we have a really wonderful outdoor community pool literally five minutes from our house, that we both adore, so we became daily regulars.  I in the lap lane, and he assisting the lifeguards, learning to dive, playing in the playground, etc. He was in his element.

So.....Why does it have to feel like summer ends so abruptly, even when it's still sunny and warm?!  We know it can't last forever...but it still stings.

Just yesterday (Labor Day), we were at the pool.  And, all last week we were fixtures there.  And, now, suddenly, it's over.  School has begun, and I'm back to spending much of my time on the computer.  Alone.  In my home office.  And, while I do work well myself, I relish the company of others, and miss that.

Being at the pool was my time to not just to swim, but to read and relax, I would engage in discussion, even if with the lifeguards, and it felt good....communal.  Seth and I would throw around a frisbee in the pool if it wasn't too crowded or play some sort of game of aquatic spy game that he concocted with his vivid imagination that never ceases to amaze me.

I'm looking out my office window as I type this, and my heart feels a pull.  I want to drive over to the pool and look through the metal fence at the glistening water, which has yet to be drained.  I want to wade in the lap lane one more time until the water temperature feels comfortable and then submerge.  I liked being in my own world under the water. Worries would melt away, if at least for the moment.

Kids are so resilient.  Seth loved his first day of school.  I was the one feeling out of sorts.  A friend suggested I do something good for myself....which was to get an overdue haircut and hit the gym.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  And, before I knew it, the school bus pulled up, and Seth came bounding out.  I was anxious to get the lowdown on his first day...but he didn't have much to share other than that it was good and he already has homework.  Luckily it wasn't anything monumental.  Neither he nor I are poised as yet to embark on the daily regimen of homework, which will come soon enough, after the Jewish holiday ends this week.

By then, I'll adjust no doubt to the finality of summer pleasures.  As much as there were days that were uncomfortably sticky, and the mosquitoes seemed to come out in droves at night, especially by our pool, it was still a summer to remember.  I'm sure Second Grade will ultimately be a year to remember as well, and I look forward to seeing how it unfolds.

The good times fly all too fast, but memories thankfully do linger!