Wouldn’t it be nice if a person could take the three months of summer and spread them out to six? Why you ask? In Minnesota the nice weather is short but the list of things happening at this time of year continue to grow. Graduations, weddings, sporting and community events, anniversaries, birthdays and of course family vacations. Throw in an unexpected funeral and a few last minute get-togethers and things shift into a higher gear. But wait a minute. Aren’t these things supposed to be fun? Of course they are. The problem is: they usually come all at once. I talked to someone who had five graduation parties on the same day. It’s hard to attend everything you want and if you’re working, it can be next to impossible.

My parents both worked and I remember their basic routine in the summer months. They would come home from work and put on a pot of coffee and then talk about their day. When they finished their chat, my mother would start cooking and my father would go into the garden to weed or pick some vegetables for dinner. After we ate, Dad would go outside and sit on a lawn chair by his garden with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. Sometimes Mom would join him, but most of the time he sat out there by himself. I guess he wasn’t completely alone, because the dog would follow him and take a nap under his lawn chair. My siblings and I would wander out there from time to time and ask him why he was sitting there basically doing nothing. He would smile proudly and say he was watching his garden grow. We thought he was insane. How could he be so happy and contented to sit there and stare at plants?

Here I am fifty years later and the biggest highlight of the summer for me is being able to sit on my porch and drink my coffee. I love to look at my flowers, listen to the birds sing and feel the warm sunlight on my face. I figured out that my father wasn’t just sitting there by his garden. He was likely thinking or meditating or perhaps even praying some. In any case, it was his way to unwind at the end of a hard day.

I realize now the simple things about summer are truly what I enjoy the most and I’m going to strive to make them a priority. Who knows with the inflation and gas prices the simple things could possibly make a come back in all of our lives? Look on the bright side — maybe we’ll have more time to relax and read.

Happy reading to everyone!

Donna

These are my books:

Only a Heartbeat Away (A Modern History Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084235

Revenge in a Heartbeat (A Modern History Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084227

Heartbeat of Desire (A Modern History Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084219

Ryley (A Christmas Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084200

If you would like to be notified in an email about the release dates of my books  go to:  https://donnalovitz.com/contact/

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