Missing Summer.....which leads me to other thoughts.....

Okay. so we are well into October and while I do love the fall, with its crisp, cool air and falling leaves crunching beneath my feet, today I am longing for a beach day....to hear the waves lapping against the shore, the warm summer sun on my face and sand between my toes.  My favourite place in all the world is Southampton, ON.

My sister and I spent our childhood summers there, and although we no longer have our family cottage, we do return each summer to Southampton for vacation.....except for this past summer, which I missed after moving to Alberta.  Lazy days at the dog beach, sand on the cottage floor, fires at night roasting marshmallows, these are the memories of childhood that have carried forward to my adult life, times with family that I so cherish.

Why does time seem to stop in these little towns? No one seems to be in a hurry, not even the locals. When I stop to compare this way of life with living in the city, it almost makes me whince.  At first I thought I perhaps felt this way because when you are on vacation, you don't watch the clock, there is no real routine, and your time is your own.  But that is not what is is at all.....it's just their way of life.  People living in Southampton work, go to school, take their kids to baseball, soccer, and dance lessons just like city folk.  It's the small town attitude that is so very appealing. That is a mindset - less is more. We can all apply this to our lives - if we WANT to.  People may say "I could never do that!  I have this to do and that to do and after that I have to do this..." but it really is a mindset.  Why don't we try saying "no" when someone asks us to do something that we don't want to do.  Women especially, were brought up to be kind, accomodate others, give of yourself.  That is a wonderful way to be, but sometimes kindness can be taken advantage of - because you have always done it, you are expected to always do it.  Saying no once in a while is looking after yourself, and if you don't look after yourself, you can't look after anyone else.  So maybe, just maybe, this week, try saying no to something or someone, you will find it gets easier each time you do it.....and thus allows time for yourself to take a long bubble bath, have a cup of tea, or shut off the TV, light some candles and spend time talking to your spouse.....you will find the night goes by slower and you will enjoy it more. 

oxox