Summer Break

 Tomorrow is our work day before diving into professional development and meetings, before parents and students visit classrooms and the first day of school arrives.  I'm filled with anticipation as I arrange the library and get it ready for use, so it's naturally time for me to transition out of summer break mode and into my welcome-to-our-library setting.  

What did I do this summer?

I slept.  Goodness, I napped, ignored my usual sleep schedule, and made my bed daily, only to pull up my comforter from the bottom edge of the bed to cover my legs and feet whenever the urge to snooze hit. Charlie and Tish-Tish were very accommodating, joining me on the loveseat, on blankets next to the bed, or perched atop extra pillows near my head. While I was certainly exhausted from work and the upheaval in my personal life from the winter, I woke every morning and from every nap rested and relaxed. No stress, no panic, no anxiety. I cannot recommend sleep highly enough to you.

I spent time with my youngest, meeting once or twice weekly for dinner or breakfast. We had deeper conversations, streamed movies, and committed to watching a few episodes of shows that were "just for us." We enjoyed Murder Bot enough for me to buy the books to read and then pass along to him, and we're closing in on the finale of Dark, which has been a great series for bending our minds and comparing the English dubbing to the English subtitles, which have very rarely matched. We totally get how a character can be her mother's mother, but goodness, how did the junior detective lose his eye in one universe and his arm in the other? 

I continued on with the process of sorting my belongings into keep/sell/toss or keep/donate/toss piles.  Photographs, magazines, clothing, and knick-knacks from my past found themselves stored again, shredded and delivered to the dumpster, listed online for sale, or boxed and bagged up and taken to Goodwill.  You'd think that after six months of living in my apartment that I would have finished this task some time ago, but no, and frankly, I've appreciated not having to rush through it. I've certainly been taking my time, with the ability to evaluate, rethink, and eventually come around again for another look as I continue to edit my surroundings. No stress, no apprehension-filled worries of what if I need this, no panic-buying to replace what I've gotten rid of.  Just decisive choices that result in a little more freed-up space.

I chose new photos for picture frames and spent time in my craft room to create new wreaths out of materials from my stash of ribbons, lace, and trims. I read books from several TBR piles, and went through my jewelry box, deciding which rings I want to eventually have repurposed into other jewelry that my children can have as keepsakes after I'm done wearing them. I crocheted, attended some doctors' appointments, roamed antique malls and thrift stores, and listened to music.  I repotted plants, harvested basil, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries from my windowsill, and leisurely enjoyed sunrises, sunsets, and summer storms. I made messes and left them for another day, and came to appreciate how little time it takes to clean this apartment.

Charlie and I went for walks daily, and I've realized that he's aging faster than I am at this point.  Tish-Tish has continued to be her sweet, silly self, and I've managed to track down the lint roller that picks up both her and Charlie's fur between my bi-weekly episodes of vacuuming.  I gave myself a mid-summer haircut when the sweat was getting to be too much, and I pulled down all of the shades and turned up the air conditioner when Kansas Summer arrived and the daily heat index hit 107-112 degrees. We have another month or two of humidity dictating my daily hairstyling choices, which means colleagues and students will be able to see my earrings every day until autumn.

I gained a whopping pound since the end of May, which is amazing considering the amount of chicken salad, potato salad, and burgers I made and ate throughout June and July. I rediscovered my love of berry crumble for dessert, breakfast, and afternoon decaf coffee time. I learned how to make Mongolian beef and cook mock steak, and did a rather good job of freezing leftovers that were easy dinners later. I still have a partial bottle of sangria in the fridge.  

I did very little news watching, preferring to binge my way through series that I missed during their first go-round.  Mr. Robot, meh. The conclusion of The Walking Dead didn't inspire me to watch any of the spinoffs.  I loved The Sandman and enjoyed The Blacklist until season five or six. Favorite movies and series served as my background noise when I wasn't listening to music: Harry Potter, The Gorge, Enola Holmes, Stranger Things, Lost in Space, The Foundation, and Wednesday.  I couldn't bring myself to rewatch The West Wing. My favorite first-time movie watch?  Sinners.  Exceptional storytelling, goodness. 

I continued to vlog via TikTok and discovered more school librarians who are sharing online with enthusiasm and humor.  Book Fairies have been contributing to my collection for students, so I've gone into work earlier than contracted to in-process the new titles so that they're ready for check-out on day one.  I've read up on book reviews and added recommended titles to wish and purchasing lists, and I've taken note of book display and reading incentive ideas whenever they've manifested. I only remember having two back-to-work nightmares over the summer, and neither had anything to do with me being a librarian.

My previous next-door neighbors moved out, and new neighbors moved in.  I'm hearing a lot of animated phone calls and laughter so far, but I suspect that I'm going to need to invest in some noise-cancelling headphones or comfortable earplugs soon, move a lounge chair into my craft room, spend more time reading in bed, or win the lottery and purchase a home nestled in the middle of twenty acres of trees. What can I say? I don't like unpredictable noises.  They break my train of thought, interrupt the book I'm reading, startle me and the pets, and affect my mood.  

I continued my hunt for an apartment-sized flocked Christmas tree for December, and decided that I'd like to have much of my keep/donate/toss process done by Thanksgiving so that I can celebrate my birthday and Christmas in peace, gazing at ornaments sparkling in white light unimpeded by stacks of bags and totes. I did not mourn or feel grief over my first non-anniversary anniversary.  I loved catching up with my eldest children and making plans to visit them over the next year.  

It may not have been a defining summer, but the pace, tone, and lack of demands upon my energy made it possible for me to develop new routines, stretch into my space, breathe deeply, observe nature around me, remain out of fight-or-flight, and avoid stewing in resentment. It has been the summer I needed.