Slow Down and Enjoy the Now...Pumpkin Spice Latte Can Wait!

Are you waiting for your Pumpkin Spice Latte fix?

Did you know that Pumpkin Spice Latte will return to Starbucks stores on August 28th?  These cinnamon infused drinks will hit stores a full 25 days before fall actually begins allowing you to get your pumpkin fix on this summer and enjoy fall even longer!  Why are we in such a hurry for fall begin and summer to end?  Every year, more and more people are rushing to put up their Christmas trees before the Thanksgiving turkey is carved.  It seems like the rush to get to the next holiday extinguishes the joy of the season we could be celebrating.  I'm left with a feeling of half-hearted celebrations.  I don't want to rush through life at a half-hearted pace.


Call me a curmudgeon but I'm not celebrating pumpkin or fall anything until at least September 22 -the first day of fall.  And, it won't be much of celebration in our house considering Mississippi is known to have 90-degree heat well into October.  There is plenty of time to celebrate fall.  And in this heat, don't get in too much of a rush or you'll break into a full-on sweat!  There is nothing festive or fall-like about sweating through your favorite blanket scarf to try and force fall into being.  There is a reason for our pace in the south.  Heat!  We have a lot of it regardless of the season.

Stop and enjoy a few last days at the pool while there is time!

It has taken me a long time to get to this point in my life and learn to slow down and pace myself.  I'm guilty of the Thanksgiving Christmas tree.  But I'm starting to ask myself why are we always in a rush to get on to the next thing?  Sure, I'm rushing out the door to make it into the carpool line or to finish a deadline.  Seasons and holidays should have an order.  Holidays don't need to be reconstructed to morph into Thanksmas or Hallowgiving.  I would prefer not to take a 'two-fer' approach to holidays.  One at a time will do just fine.

It is still very much summer in Mississippi.  School has started, but we are still enjoying time at the pool and ice cream on warm evenings.  We are taking long walks after dinner because there is still plenty of daylight.  I don't want to rush that away.  I am squeezing every drop of sunshine out of summer before the golden days of fall.

Celebrating the end of the first day of school!

Sure I may be longing for another camping adventure, but I'm not in a rush to get there either.  I want to enjoy life at the moment where I am living now.  Its the only life I have, and I'm not in a hurry to be at the end of it!  And when I'm camping, I'm not in a hurry to get back home.  I want to savor every minute of that too.

The phrase, "I can't wait..." comes to mind as it is said often.  I can't wait until Christmas.  Or, I can't wait until that first tailgate.  I actually can.  Those dates and events in the future are unknown and uncertain.  I'm not afraid of what lies ahead, but life is pretty good where I am now.  Why not stop and savor today before rushing onto something else?  Just a simple pause at the start or end of a day to be thankful and just be shouldn't just be needed.  We should encourage more of it.

Stop and take time to catch a frog or swing in the backyard!

Our son still wants to snuggle and have one more hug in the morning.  He wants to stay home with Mommy.  Pretty soon, he will want more independence and be less dependent on me.  As I saw friends moving their children into college dorm rooms recently, I cried just a little seeing all of the photos on social media.  I don't know if I will ever be ready for that moment.  And while I hope that day comes in my future, I want to hold on to what I have now.

Painting on a Sunday afternoon is a great ending to a weekend.

Slow down.  Enjoy a meal at the table with your family.  Make time for a weekend trip even if it is for one night.  Build a fire in your backyard.  Be present in your own life with the loved ones around you.  Turn off the tv.  Turn up the music.  Play a game.  Draw a picture.  It is the simple childlike pleasures that we lose as adults but can also reclaim if we only make the time.  We could enjoy the humble events of our lives if we weren't in a race through to the next thing on the horizon.

It is easier to be thankful and less frustrated with the busy pace of life when we enjoy the present.  Gratitude is the best way to enjoy life and remind yourself of the present.  Your life will take on new meaning, and maybe it will rub off on those rushing out to buy those first Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  Trust me.  It can wait.  They will be on the menu a while!

Until next time...

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