Scheduling Summer

The way the week's appointments are lining up, it's tough to remind myself this is summertime. Yesterday was easy: Sydney's boyfriend was taking her to her driver's test and we only needed to get Emma to her Driver's Ed class at 5:30pm. Today is much too loaded: Orthodontist appointment for Paul, Volleyball practice for Emma. Optometrist appointments for Syd and I. Driver's Ed again tonight. Oh and another round of puppy classes begin tomorrow and the car goes in for service too. Then Emma will have times for driving with her instructor.

As scheduled as the week is turning out to be, however, there is a welcome reprieve from having to rise at 5:00am, from having to be inside a classroom with only two small windows for 8 hours, and let's not forget the fact that I do not have to plan lessons or correct papers in the evenings or on weekends. I like having the deheading and watering of flowers being my nightly "homework" and of waking up in the morning knowing I can turn my pillow over and snooze for another hour or two if I want to.

Summer is short. So in between necessary appointments this week, I'll make time to browse through a magazine or to read another chapter or two in my book. I'll sit out on my chaise chair with a tall glass of raspberry lemonade and take time to play fetch with my pup. It's all about savoring the moment. I read today of a mother's panic that she has only 9 more summers before her nine-year old girl goes off to college. Wow. Why do that to oneself? Even realizing the truth that my 19 year old college daughter will most likely not be back home after this summer, having realized the joy and excitement of an alternative plan for next year, I refuse to count down the days of the week or the weeks of the summer. Let's just take each day as it comes, appointments or no appointments. For I know that today,for example, after our trip to get our eyes checked, Syd and I will most likely make a side trip to the mall for a little "mother-daughter bonding time", aka shopping and maybe a trip to our favorite restaurant. But maybe we won't. Maybe she'll want to come straight home. Either way, it'll be okay. Nothing needs to be forced. Nothing needs to be set in stone. Good times, good memories just happen, no matter whether a child is nine or nineteen years old, whether it's July or January. It's best to just let life happen. The thing is, good memories don't follow a set schedule. They're created no matter what.

Sure, in the summer, I'd like to forget what day of the week it is, but with three children to care for, that's not very realistic, so I'll circle the two weeks we'll spend away at camp in August, preserving those free from any appointments and I'll accept that there will be several weeks of "Get her here then" in the meantime. Still, not all schedules are bad. For examples, tomorrow morning we've planned to take a hike, go on a picnic, and take in the view of the mountains before finding a nearby lake to go swimming at. As we drop off the car for service in the afternoon, I'll plan the menu for dinner on the deck and then we can hit the drive-in movie down the road. I hear there's a great double feature playing and luckily, it starts soon after puppy class.