one more everything

i swear august is the month that makes you realize how fast everything goes.

one minute you’re making summer plans and thinking, we have so much time. and then suddenly you’re buying school supplies, looking at the calendar, wondering where june and july went, and trying to squeeze in “one more” everything.

one more dinner outside. one more late night. one more morning with nowhere to be. one more walk. one more trip to the garden. one more evening when everyone happens to be home at the same time. maybe one more swim, one more fire, one more backyard dinner that stretches way past bedtime.

i think i’ve gotten better at appreciating those little windows of ordinary life. they don’t look like much while you’re living them, but somehow they become the memories you miss. the kids running through the yard, vegetables coming out of the garden, everyone gathered around the table, or sitting outside at the end of the day with absolutely nothing that needs to be done.

maybe that’s one of the reasons i love outdoor spaces so much. they give us a place to actually live some of those moments. whether it’s a backyard in naperville, a garden in aurora, a patio in plainfield, a fire pit in yorkville, or a little corner of a yard in batavia, geneva, glen ellyn, wheaton, downers grove, lisle, or anywhere in the western suburbs of chicago, the setting doesn't have to be elaborate. sometimes it just needs to be a place where people want to be.

summer has a funny way of making us slow down without us realizing it. the days are long, the evenings linger, and there always seems to be a reason to stay outside just a little longer. then august arrives and reminds us that none of it lasts forever.

so i’m trying not to rush into fall just yet. there will be plenty of schedules, routines and cooler days ahead. for now, i’m just going to enjoy what’s left of summer—and maybe squeeze in a few more of those little moments that don't seem important until you realize they're the ones you'll remember.