Tale of Three Summers

It was two summers ago that Teri and I went from dating and getting to know each other to being a couple.  This is actually our third summer together and I gotta tell you, while each one has been quite a bit different, this one takes the cake! (Wedding cake pun intended.)

I've mentioned before that Summer is my favorite season and 2009 was easily the most playful season I had experienced since my kids were little.  The Universe seemed to conspire to give Teri and I plenty of time to figure out what and how to be together--there were camping trips, drives to the coast, kickball games and barbecues and house parties.  It was a brief window of relative leisure in what has been for me, a rather responsible and productive grown-up life.  By Autumn of that year, of course, it was back to work and some of the hard trials of life as my Dad died, the last of the kids moved out and Time marched on.

Last night, as we finished up watching season 4 of Mad Men, a television series we have been addicted to for the past few weeks, one of the characters said something like "Grow up, there is no fresh starts, life just keeps moving on."  Teri and I nodded in agreement--even in the midst of beginnings, life just keeps moving and marching without so much as a missed step. We do our best to keep up, adjust and hang on.

I would find life very unsatisfying if all I did was play and date and strive to stay forever young.  That just isn't me--for me, a satisfying life has purpose and connection and responsibility.  Perhaps it is the working class believe system, but play feels better when one has worked her butt off to earn it!

So now it is Summer again and this one is just as full as one could imagine.  There is plenty of work for me to do in my job; Teri has not only work, but several volunteer obligations lined up for the next few weeks; we have family and friends coming for visits both before and for the Wedding; we are hosting a few gatherings; and are still trying to squeeze in some camping, ball games, and other Summer outings.  AND, we are starting to plan for a move. 

Time will only tell how we will remember the Summer of 2011.  I know it will be our Wedding Summer, but I imagine it will be remembered for other adventures as well. Life is short and it doesn't stop until it is over.  The luckiest of us get to live it consciously and with engagement--and for that, I feel incredibly grateful.