I went to my closet to pull out clothes to wear, going for the long pants and a warm shirt. “No”they screamed! “Don’t pick us! It’s too soon!” And I screamed back “It’s cold outside you idiots! I’m picking you.”
Cold makes me a little crazy as evidenced by the conversation with inanimate clothes detailed above. And the world is rushing too fast! Summer should not be over. Not yet. Too soon.
I close my eyes and relive clear blue sky and perfect weather; long walks and talks with good friends; a fire on the beach with ocean waves breaking over rocks in the background and us roasting marshmallows and putting the hot, melted mallow over bits of chocolate, sandwiched between two graham crackers; laughing until our sides hurt and telling ghost stories with adult children.
Some summers are made to last forever, and this one was one of them. In a world that rushes too fast and puts productivity above relationships it is a gift to stop, look up and around, relax and enjoy.
When the world rushes too fast I need to stop. Because in the midst of that rushing I will miss things that are important. I’ll get the urgent things done, but I’ll miss those things that are truly important.
When younger moms ask me how to slow life, how I’ve negotiated the work/home dance I give them only one piece of advice – I tell them “Always ask yourself when you’re thinking about a job, about a change, about demands on your time – ‘who do I want to like me when I’m 80?’ because the answer is rarely ‘my work.'”
And this summer I danced that dance and my family took the lead. There are times when I do have to give a bit more to work, and that’s okay. But overall, my priorities are, have had to be, home and family.
And so when the world rushes too fast, when it shouts its demands through loud emails, edicts, and busy schedules, summer is a time to retreat.
But now, the summer retreat is over and warmer clothes are screaming from the closet.
So we have said goodbye – goodbye to a summer of long evenings on the porch, walks to our favorite rocks at the end of the earth in Rockport, conversations with our kids shared over wine and cheese. We have entered a new season – an open season for us.
But when the world rushes too fast, as autumn gold chill replaces summer sunshine, when cold, grey winter comes with its melancholy, we still have our memories of summer.
Take a look at this video created by my daughter Stefanie! It captures some of our summer beautifully! https://vimeo.com/104361637
Summer. from Stefanie Gardner on Vimeo.
How do you stop the world from rushing too fast?
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Marilyn R. Gardner 
I loved the video!! How fabulous! I wish you all the glories of Autumn. … warm light, golden evenings, hot beverages.
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Love this. Someday I want to meet you in a summer like this.
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Great video Stefanie! It was a treat to watch. I especially liked the “dancing parents”.
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“Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest…” The seasons come and go all too quickly. I’m slow and not always ready for the changes – changes like pulling out cold weather clothes and packing away the summer ones. But once I wake up to a new season with its own character and beauty, I get excited. Slow down world and catch up with me!!! Thanks again Marilyn.
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PS: It’s getting cold here too soon, too. With limited closet space, I have to put away the summer clothes and get the winter stuff out from under the bed. Doing that today.
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And you know what? It goes even faster when you get into your 80s. I’m sure there are old people for whom everything slows down, and if we live long enough we will get there, too. But at this point there just isn’t time enough for all I still want to do. Dad got a general health questionnaire recently and one of the questions in the psychological part was: “Do you ever feel frustrated because you can’t get things done that you would like to?” My answer would have been, “When do I ever get it all done??” But all they want is a number from 1 to 5. Such a waste of time and paper:) I love Stef’s video, and so thankful for the memories of that 4th of July weekend with all of you at Rockport.
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I love every season for different reasons so I don’t really mind the cooler weather arriving, but it is indeed arriving much sooner than it should! There is beauty in each season thankfully, even if some are nicer than others :)
I LOVE the video Stefanie made! It captures a summer and a family of love, laughter and warmth. It was beautiful and made me smile so much. It reminded me of my family and made my heart ache for a family reunion where we could also laugh, dance and be our crazy selves together! You have a beautiful family, thank you for giving us a glimpse into it. :)
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I’m so glad you liked it! We were so happy she did it as it really captured what our summer was like. Your family sounds amazing – I’ve been getting a sense of that through the #TCKchat events – would love to hear more about them. And yes – each season does have its own beauty.
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