They are not long

…the days of wine and roses, aka summer in Scandinavia, so I’m off to enjoy it for a bit with family and friends. We have relatives to visit, people to entertain, and birthdays to celebrate. I’m acutely aware these family summers and adventures are coming to an end. My children are teens, and our oldest is on the cusp of adulthood and soon off to adventures of his own, a life of his own.

I’m ready to let go; it’s my husband who’s struggling with the passage of time. I think we’ve done a pretty decent job raising the next generation of men, and I’m confident they’ll do just fine in life. I’ve done all I can to cultivate their empathy and imagination and self-esteem, their creativity and curiosity. I gave them life, that Once upon a time, but it’s their story now. Can’t wait to watch it unfold.

But first, slow cooking, long lunches and even longer evenings, the endless summer nights midsummer provides. Movies, books, some writing. Brunches al fresco, walks in the garden with Chloe the cat. The city and the sea. With 19 hours of daylight to spare, it feels as if you have all the time in the world, and so much energy running through your veins there’s not much you can’t do. It’s true, sweetie darlings: people don’t run on coffee/tea/rage against the machine but solar power. Recharging as I write.