All of you readers don’t necessarily need or want this gentle reminder of where we all are on the calendar. Whenever any of us end up in a conversation as we dodge through the day-to-day activities, that represents the process that is our lives, the chat will usually be fairly predictable.
Our first topic will usually be about the weather. It doesn’t seem to matter much, as folks from Labrador we can usually find some extreme at either end of the scale that can take us a few minutes to work our way through.
More by Gary Shaw:
Mosquitoes and Blackflies, it’s time!
Spring arrives, so to does the boating season
The spring bear hunt arrives in Labrador
The next topic will often be focused on how quickly the time seems to pass. There is very little doubt that our lives somehow seem much busier than they once were. Whether we are busier or it just seems that way, there is little doubt that time goes faster. When I was a boy, I remember my grandfather telling me when I was being inpatient about being old enough to drive his old truck, he said, “Don’t wish your life away boy, the older you get the faster the time goes .” Grandpa was right.
There is no better example of this than our summer in Labrador, particularly this year. We have experienced a much later spring this year than what would have been normal. Everything was late, the snow stayed late, the temperatures stayed abnormally cooler and the day to day activities that we all participate in that represents the arrival of our normal Spring and summer were sure slow in arriving.
All of these conditions have given most of us a greater sense of urgency to get out and squeeze as much of the summer activities into our lives as our shortened season will allow.
The reality is that Regatta Day has came and went, many of us have had our annual trip outside that is part of our annual summer activities and finding ourselves looking ahead at what little bit of summer we have left.
When you factor in Mother Nature’s gentle reminders, the days are already getting a bit shorter on both ends of our days and all of the wild flowers are going to seed. The young birds are out and on the go, most as big as their mothers, the young robins are out picking away in our yards and the young jays in their full grey plumage are learning the tricks of the trade from the adult birds in weaselling some treats from us at the cabins.
More subtle signs are in our face as we walk through the stores that have big displays of the back to school stuff, all lined up reminding mom and dad that you ought not hesitate, get this “stuff” picked up, time is ticking.
Plans are in place to get the older kids packed up, travel plans for them heading out, many for the first time, filled with the independence and excitement that goes with post-secondary education. As parents and grandparents we help in facilitating this time in our children’s lives as we all find ourselves with the real and perceived stress that our babies leaving the nest brings.
The reality is, as we wind down yet another summer in Labrador, don’t miss a minute, get out the door, go to the cabin, go to the lake, have as much fun outside the door as possible.
The down side is that it will be a long run from the arrival of the snow until we get another shot at summer. The up side will be as we move ahead, just maybe September will give us a nice warm month to extend some of our summer fun. Here’s hoping that’s how it goes, either way, don’t miss a minute, and enjoy all the summer we have left.
