How to Savor the Last Days of Summer
Last weekend, we took a quick trip to Hawaii to cheer our grandson on at his cross-country meet.
And while I was there, I stumbled across something that brought two very old memories rushing back.
The first took me all the way back to high school, when I had the privilege of spending a month in Japan as an exchange student.
It was there that I discovered shaved ice.
On a couple of special days, it arrived surrounded by beautifully cut fresh fruit—a wonderful jumble of flavors, textures and colors that was practically a meal in itself.
The second memory came from a trip to Australia years later.
We were staying with a family through SERVAS, an international organization created to promote peace by connecting travelers with local hosts. One evening, our host made homemade ice cream with fresh passion fruit.
I was smitten.
When I returned home, I searched international markets hoping to find passion fruit. The closest I could get was a bottle of passion fruit syrup.
It wasn’t even close.
So imagine my delight in Hawaii when I stumbled across a little shaved ice stand that made its own syrups from fresh fruit. And there it was. Passion fruit.
Their “syrup” was barely syrup at all—more like fresh passion fruit stirred with a little sweetness. I ordered it.
And then I went back the next day and ordered it again.
And the next.
On that final day, I knew it would probably be a long time before I tasted anything quite like it again. So I sat down on a nearby bench with my little cup of shaved ice and did absolutely nothing else.
I savored it, one spoonful at a time.
I wasn’t thinking about where we were going next. I wasn’t distracted by something on my phone. I wasn’t trying to do two things at once.
I simply paid attention.
I’ve thought about that shaved ice several times since I returned. I suppose I enjoyed that last cup even more because I knew I wouldn’t be able to have it again anytime soon.
And it made me wonder:
How many other “lasts” pass by without us realizing they’re lasts at all?
Summer is slipping away.
And rather than rushing ahead into pumpkins, sweaters and all the lovely things autumn will bring, I’m trying to pay a little more attention to what’s still here.
I’m asking myself:
What will I miss about summer when it’s gone?
Fresh peaches and watermelon.
Long evenings with enough light for a walk after dinner.
Flowers in my garden.
Open windows.
Bare feet.
Morning coffee outside without needing a coat.
All simple things. And perhaps that’s exactly why they’re so easy to overlook.
So this week, I’m going to savor a few of them while they’re still here.
I baked a fresh peach pie this weekend. We’re having watermelon with supper tonight. And I’ll be spending as much time outside as the weather allows.
But as I thought more about this, I realized there’s something bigger here than simply saying goodbye to summer.
The seasons give us a chance to practice something that can change the way we experience our lives:
noticing what we have while we still have it.
I wrote more about that—and some simple ways to savor these last days of summer—on the blog.
Keep reading here.
In the meantime, perhaps carry this question with you:
What is here right now in this season that I will miss when it’s gone?
Whatever comes to mind, go enjoy it while it’s still here.
With love, Julie
I slow down to savor what's here before it becomes what was.
What We Loved This Week
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