Slow Down, Summer!
Can we pause time for a bit and take a break, please?
If I could have a superpower, I would choose the ability to pause time. Or maybe never needing to sleep…but I think pausing time sounds better to me right now, at least in the context of trying to savor moments more clearly and thoroughly.
Both of these superpowers drive toward the same desired outcome: to get more out of the time we have. Which would you choose?
Savoring the time I have is top of mind for me right now.
Nearly every conversation I’ve had this week contained some version of “Summer is going so fast!” or “I can’t believe summer is half over already.” Probably because I live in the Midwest and by mid-July many of us Midwesterners tend to have a slight panic attack when we realize summer is half over already.
Here’s a comic I made about this very thing.
The bittersweet reality is we can’t pause time and summer always goes fast. And the older I get the faster summers seem to go. Maybe that makes it feel more special. Like we have to savor every last drop of summer versus just get through it (which is how I feel about winter come February!) But the surprising speed of summer seems to crop up every year, none the less.
Since I can’t actually pause time, I like to metaphorically pause time (or at least attempt to slow down and savor time) with the following activities. Maybe you do too?
Read Outside — I want to do more of this in general, but especially during the last hour of daylight to take advantage of these longer summer days.
Walk New Routes — I tend to take the same paths around my neighborhood to achieve a certain distance and “get a walk in.” But that is the total antithesis of savoring! Exploring new routes inevitably makes my surroundings feel more interesting and helps me notice more in the process.
Take Random Photos of eye-catching things outside (like cool plants, textures, interesting shadows and lighting, etc.) to use as drawing reference later. I can’t help but do this — at least the picture taking part! The part I’d like to do more is drawing from these reference photos afterward! Another fun thing would be to use the photo as a writing prompt. I haven’t tried this, but I like the idea!
Enjoy Food & Beverages Outside, ideally with good company! I must admit I’ve been doing a lot of this already because it’s one of my favorite things to do in summer, especially at my favorite restaurants.
Write & Draw Outside — This is my absolute favorite thing to do to help me pause time in the summer. There’s pure enjoyment combined with nostalgia for me here, because this is how I spent many summer days as a kid between jumping in the lake, swinging on the swing set, and running around with my dog Murphy.
Let me know what activities help pause time for you! I’d love to hear from you in the comments or feel free to reply to me directly via email.
Built to Chill
In the spirit of slowing down and savoring summer, I drew a very summery capybara enjoying life with their bird friend inspired by my comic You Are With Me Always.
You can get this design on t-shirts, tanks, hoodies and more on Cotton Bureau!
Thanks for reading!
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We slowed down time today by taking the day off and going to the lake. It was lovely.