The End of Summer

August 24, 2012January 16, 2021 Leisa Hammett

Diagnosis: End-of-Summer Malaise. Late last week I returned from the most relaxing vacay I’ve had in four years. And then I remained in that mode via a “staycay” for the next nearly four days. Ahhhh. (I’ll be starting a show-and-tell series from all my spring and summer travels here on “The Journey with Grace” soon….)

Then Grace came home. Havoc. Every glass in the cupboard became dirtied. One right after the other. A new one each time. She soaked the sheets Tuesday morning. She stayed up all night her first night home, which meant my slept was pretty cruddy the next two days. She pulled the stuffing out of two pillows, including a favorite small neck pillow that was stuffed with small hulls….that are now dispersed between my sheet….Oh. Shut. Up. Will. You?!

Back to the diagnosis~End-of-Summer-Malaise: I’ve had to club down the lid of the worry-worry portion of my brain. You know, the section where the hatch door of the subterranean vault creaks opens and begins to leak out scary thoughts of all needs to be done, like for me, now that Taxi-City is closing shop for the summer and I have to return to the reality of gettin’ ‘er done. And not just trying to eek out gettin’ sumpthin’ done as was the agenda for this hot summer of taxiing Grace everywhere and to and fro over hill and dale of Nashville ~ our fair city.

“Stay in the now!” “Present time conscious!” My higher self whispered. Ahhh. Better. That worked. Thank you. Cellar door slams shut.

And then later I’m standing at the sink washing said mound of dirty dishes and I forget those truth whispers and feel like I’m wading in the shallow seas, in some warped illusion of time. The ego is up to it’s tricks again, keeping my mind cranking out pain. Pain that is unreal because it is in some imaginary future minute and not anchored in the current moment. I find myself waiting for it to begin. For it to happen. I’ve had a stomach ache for two days and our plans have gotten cancelled and rearranged. I’m ready for the show to begin and then, I’m kinda not.

Chill. Just chill.

Diagnosis: Summer Malaise. I’ll get over it and myself real soon. Promise.

Written the day before school began at the god-awful calendar date of August 1. Tsk. Then again, there’s perks for this mother with such an early school start….Up and at ’em!

Photo: Cherokee Forest somewhere between Tennessee and North Carolina. More photos and a new travel series coming soon!