“Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”
The famous opening line from the song “Summertime”, written by George Gershwin for a 1930’s opera, is still often quoted. As the final days of spring take a bow and summer trots onto the stage, it seems everyone takes a deep breath and steps out the patio door to welcome the carefree days of summer.
Or are they so carefree?
Maybe it’s just me but when I look around, everyone’s calendars are still bustling with activity. Whether its weddings, reunions, golf tournaments, road trips, summer camp, hiking excursions, family picnics or racing from BBQ’s to summer blockbusters, it all makes me wonder: Is the livin’ really easy? What we’re busy with might be more enjoyable, yet schedules still rule the hours.
What about rest? What about days simply filled with open spaces?
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” – John Lubbock
As an English banker that lived a hundred years ago, Lubbock recognized a use for a summer day that has long been buried in picnic blankets and road maps. An afternoon that’s only use is for rest, for simply engaging in what we so often miss.
Is summertime just as hectic for you as the rest of the calendar year or do you find solace in the summer months? Do you take time out to find rest?
(Image credit: sinanacar)
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June 23rd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I think for a lot of people the days of lazing in the sun doing nothing are reserved for vacations, and not even then sometimes. I feel guilty when I’m not doing anything, even when my body desperately needs the rest. I feel guilty when I’m on vacation sleeping my days away when I should be making the most of my time off seeing new sights. I feel guilty taking a nap at home or just sitting around when there’s so much that needs to be done. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems today’s society values busyness much more than stillness and rest, and there’s never enough time to get all the things we want to do done. Maybe if we all are able to get enough sleep and rest there’d be less violence and angry people out there.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I know what you mean Tracy! I was just thinking the very same thing…we feel guilty because we ’should’ on ourselves all the time….I should be weeding the yard not sitting in the lawnchair reading, I should be painting the front door instead of visitng with a friend. Maybe I will change that focus today and spend some time today just sitting in the sun!