vacation — 2012 — The 21st Century Matriarch

August begins tomorrow. What do you celebrate in August? Here are some ideas:

Watermelon. Locally grown watermelons are ripe in many areas. Check out your farmers market. I’ve always thought that the large and long ones with black seeds had the best flavor but they’re hard to find any more. August is the month to enjoy watermelon in whatever form you choose to buy it.

End of Summer Vacation. August is the time that many people take vacations before the busy fall activities (school and increased work schedules) start. Even if you don’t take off a whole week - plan a mini-vacation/day trip to someplace that helps you glory in the warmth of summer - usually someplace with water like a beach, a lake, a river.

Start of the School Year. Yes - the start of the school is in August for some people and the reason I have it on the celebration list is that some actually do like the beginning of the school year…and the new clothes/supplies that go with it.

Two full moons. This is special to this particular August. It turns out there are two full moons: on the 2nd and 31st of this August. Take your binoculars out if the night is clear and enjoy the summer night.

This blog item is the fourth in a series about the rhythms we choose for our lives. Today the topic is annual rhythms.

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What activities do you do every year? I find that putting these on a calendar (either electronic or paper) is very worthwhile - so that I don’t forget. I’ve listed some examples below.

Birthdays/anniversaries/other yearly celebrations. I set up a re-occurring item on my electronic calendar for these.
Vacation. Taking at least a week off to do something completely different than the other weeks of the year helps sustain your focus on what is truly important in your life. Generally I reserve the days on my calendar well before I know for certain what I am going to do.
Physical/medical checkup. Most medical plans encourage some kind of annual checkup. Use the data to make appropriate life style changes (and minimize medication over the long term).
Thorough house cleaning. Many people still do ‘spring cleaning’ because it works to keep the home in great shape. Some elements of thorough house cleaning (that aren’t part of weekly or monthly cleanings) might be:
- Cleaning windows inside and out
- Taking everything out of a storage area, cleaning it, putting back only what is still needed, donating/trashing the rest
- Getting all the spiderwebs and debris from the garage floor and ceiling
- Cleaning under furniture (may involve moving the furniture)
- Checking the pantry for old/forgotten/expired cans or boxes of food
- Emptying the refrigerator, cleaning the shelves (hopefully not finding any long lost items that should have been eaten or thrown away long ago)
Resolutions. Most people do this at the beginning of the year but it can be done any time. The idea is to set some longer term goals…and the ways you will measure them for the next 12 months.