AUGUST. Winter might be my favorite season (hot take I know), but August has come to be my favorite month. I almost forget the feeling until it creeps up as the busyness of July settles down. August feels quieter — maybe it seems that way because work feels lighter too, everyone taking time for themselves, not worrying about others and frankly, minding their own business. We all know how busy the fall comes to be and yet it’s also not the start of the year when everyone is telling one another all the new routines they are going to commit to that will hopefully transform their life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge supporter of goals and intentions for the New Year, I try to set them too, but that’s a different mindset, and it can sometimes be overwhelming to listen to every person you know, Corporate America and social media all shouting the same themes.  

Instead, August feels simpler, with a little less pressure to get things done — everyone finally gives themselves space to breathe. The waves still crash, the sun still sets, the bird still chirp, but maybe you stop and notice what’s around you and what’s in front of you more than you had before. It’s warm, but not blistering (at least in New England) and some days send a slight chill when the sun buries itself in the clouds. The leaves dance in the wind, the fires cackle, but don’t quite roar, and the fresh squeezed lemonade tastes as good as it did on the first sip of summer. August reminds me of the song you don’t want to end because you’re trying to hold onto the lyrics and how they make you feel just a little while longer, but you know it has to because you’ve nearly arrived at your destination. There’s a nostalgia as summer closes knowing the seasons will soon change — a longing for a moment in time to remain. That is bittersweet.

There are definitely birthdays in August, but not the usual festive holidays that everyone is celebrating all together — everyone gets to choose how to spend this time. Maybe August is with family or friends, but maybe it’s just more time for yourself. It’s a month that seems to carry a more relaxed pace, allowing us to loosen the reigns and slow down. I find it hard to do that when everyone is full steam ahead all the time.

I hope August has been a breath of fresh air for others too before we rush into the goodness of fall. The sound of quieter days has been speaking to me this year, so I’ve gone looking for it and I think I found it in August.

Book Recommendation:

Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. This was one of my “couldn’t put down” summer reads at the lake a couple weeks ago. I went into town one morning to the local “Cottage Book Shop” (which is just adorable), picked up an over sugared cherry lemonade from across the street and read the backs of dozens of books until I found a new one that hadn’t been recommended or discovered on Amazon reviews — a favorite feeling of mine. I’ve been leaning into historical fiction these days because there is an educational component to it that’s not only compelling, but also offers a view of something historical in an easier to digest context. This is set in both present day New England and the 1950’s in Egypt, telling the stories of two women whose lives intersect through a family heirloom and each of their love stories woven across generations.