I Was Thinking... Relax

As a kid, you couldn’t wait for summer. School was out and when you were young, all you had to do was play. You could ride your bike, play ball, or just lie on the grass and watch the clouds float by. You knew how to relax.

But as we all know, childhood doesn’t last very long and soon you’re an adult with all kinds of responsibilities. At times, all our commitments can overwhelm us, and some caring individual tells us to “just relax.” Definitely something that is easier said than done. But we try.

Summer is the perfect time to take a vacation to finally get away from it all. However, the planning, preparation, and execution of the “vacation” is often more stressful than staying home. We only have so many vacation days, so we are determined to make the most of them.

How many attractions, states, and miles can we cram into our limited free time. Too often we need a week after our vacation to rest up from the vacation.

In 1963, Nat King Cole sang about the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, full of soda and pretzels and beer.” It described the perfect model of what we all hoped our summer would be like. But it was usually far from what we experienced in real life.

To many of us, summer was a time to catch up. The house needed painting, a garage sale needed to be planned, and a garden needed to be planted and cared for. It was a time to repair cracks in the driveway, trim the overgrown shrubs, and wash all the windows.

The “to do” list could go on and on. When could you possibly find time to relax? Yet, some people find a way.

Numerous times when I’m going to the store, heading to a meeting, or running an errand, I pass by a house with the garage door open, a dog lying on the driveway, and a couple sitting in their chairs. They don’t seem to be engaged in any particular activity except to relax and watch others going by in some type of hectic pursuit. I often wonder, why can’t I do that? They look so contented.

I’m writing this column after playing pickleball in the morning followed by working on a Lions project. After lunch I mowed the lawn and took the garbage to the dump. Before starting to write, I made a list of other things I should try to get done this week. There were 17 items on my list. Of course, I won’t get them all accomplished, but the mere fact they are on the list will make it difficult to enjoy the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.”

I retreated to our deck to write in quiet. However, the breeze that turned our garden windmill and the freshly cut lush green grass finally beckoned me to take a chair and move onto the lawn. It had been a long time since I had sat on a chair with my bare feet in the cool soft grass. Despite the bugs that buzzed around my ears and an occasional mosquito, I thoroughly enjoyed the rustling of the leaves in the breeze, the sound of someone’s wind chime, and the song of a busy little wren.

As the breeze increased, the bugs became less of a problem, and I could watch the billowing clouds move across a clear blue sky. For several moments, I could enjoy the beauty of the pots of petunias in full bloom, the lilies in an array of colors, and the zinnias that had started to open. It didn’t even bother me too much to see a little bunny who had somehow found a way to elude my attempt to keep him out of my garden.

With the 4^th of July now behind us, we know that a good share of our summer is gone. They never last long enough in Minnesota. So, take off your shoes, walk in the grass, and sit for a while. If you try real hard, you might be able to relax.

Did You Ever Wonder? — Why does the sun darken our skin but lighten our hair?