Summer's End

It’s only mid-August, but today I swear I could feel autumn in the air. There was a peculiar stillness, too, that made me think of cooler nights and cups of hot tea. The funny thing is, living on the East Coast, I spend a good deal of the year wishing summer would arrive. And now that summer’s been here for a while, I’m sort of ready to move on.

           There’s a fine line between enjoying the present moment, and looking forward to tomorrow. I’d like to think that I’m always in the here and now, making the most of every moment. But the mind wanders down the road, up the stream, over the fence so easily, especially when one has plans! Sometimes I think the ancient yogis had it right—just sit on a mountaintop and meditate all day. That way, one day is just as perfect as the next.

           But one day is just as perfect as the next, even without the mountaintop. Somewhere recently I read that there “are no wrong choices.” Well, I'm not sure I agree with that completely, since too much ice cream can make you feel sick, and it might be a really bad idea to choose to leave your hand on a hot stove. When you wake up in the morning, however, it’s kind of true that the possibilities are endless, and often bright. No matter what you choose, no matter what road you take, you are going to have challenges, surprises, disappointments and delights (even if the delight is simply a hot cup of cappuccino or a text message from your kid).

            If I’m meandering a bit here, it’s probably because my mind is wandering again...to tomorrow, to next month, to yesterday, and even to winter (a season I generally dislike, yet who can deny the beauty of falling snow or the comfort of coming into a warm house after a walk on a cold, dark night?) Yes, I know it’s the now that counts most of all. But sometimes, tomorrow beckons…and I just want to follow.