Last gasps

I'm sitting here looking at the quarterly calendar I have printed out and taped to the slidey-shelf part of my desk. It is color-coded with magic marker showing Otis's regular massage classes and weekend classes, the classes I need to teach (a different color for each school), and other planned events. The current days are filled with notes of appointments and highlighted reminders of meetings and parties; I am sure the tidy rows of days in October and November will soon be filled with more of the same.

There's no denying that it is going to be a busy fall. That change-of-season feeling we've been mentioning includes more than just the weather: there is also a sense that the rhythm is changing, that the beat is picking up.

I can't complain. It has been a good summer. The weather has been cooperative for the most part, and I have had the opportunity to be out in it quite a bit, on bike and scooter, in parks, on beaches, and at parades. I have to remember that I haven't worked "full-time" since January, and that so much of my work schedule is under my own control, allowing for flexibility and adjustability and for striking while the iron is hot (or making hay while the sun shines!).

The key will be to remember, as we move into a busier time of planning and schedules and schedule conflicts and working more, to budget time for the good stuff: relaxation, the company of friends, and things like that.

So, Otis and I are off to Spokane today for what will likely be the last trip of summer. Thanks to everyone who helped make the summer great, and here's to an equally splendid fall!