Dog Days of Summer

Oh August….what a month you were. I haven’t written in a few weeks because, truth be told, I was hot and grumpy for a good portion of August. It turns out hot and grumpy does not make for very interesting blogs. And I realized I am a relatively high maintenance writer.

There were a few creativity killers at play the last few weeks. It has given me a new appreciation for a quiet place to focus, fresh air, and the importance of a positive attitude.

So I’m just going to whine for a tiny little bit and then move on. The new school year is amongst us and fall is always a refreshing season of clarity for me.

But just so you know….here were the forces working against me the last few weeks:

1. Heat. Oh my god. We had some hot weather this summer. Not just hot for Seattle. Hot. Anywhere. I grew up in hot, humid weather. I used to run a long way in it. No sweat. But I’ve gotten soft in my old age. And we always had air conditioning. Hot weather without air conditioning is just inhumane. And this rental house is perhaps the hottest hot house on the planet. No air flow. A massive window that makes our living room a virtual greenhouse. And so hot. Our main floor was frequently 88+ degrees – inside. Ugh. Definitely not an energizer.
2. Smoke. And if the heat wasn’t bad, then came the smoke! Like a modern day apocalypse. Seattle was surrounded by forest fires, with smoke billowing in from Canada, Oregon and eastern Washington. For many days we had worse air quality than Beijing. Beijing! The air was thick, particles fell from the sky, and you couldn’t see the sun or a hint of blue sky. Yuck, yuck, yuck! Smoke is worse than the heaviest rain. Several weeks of August were sucked up by smoke. Impossible to go outside. My kids were cooped up. I had to run on the treadmill. And you hated to open the windows on the greenhouse due to the poor air quality.
3. The endless remodel. This remodel should have been complete by now. Initially we roughly targeted July, then August 20th became the move in date. And now it is officially October 4th. For real. The date is not moving. For real. Anyone that has done a remodel probably has felt the pain of last minute delays. So close…but…not quite. Our project was huge, so the timeline was always aggressive. I like aggressive. I don’t like delays. So I was grumpy about the delay. I have largely come to terms with it. Largely. But today, the items on my to-do list are buying hundreds of lightbulbs for new light fixtures and diagramming exactly where I want the carefully chosen knobs and pulls to go on all of our cabinetry. Menial chores. And the chores you do when you are so close to the finish line.
4. Clutter. Wow. Do I have a new appreciation for the impact of clutter. I found this quote and now I realize why I haven’t had an ounce of inspiration lately. I am surrounded by clutter. For real. I am so ready for my new house to be set up – perfectly – that I have been buying half the Internet to ensure we are all set up as soon as possible. Unfortunately half the Internet was arranged to show up aligned with the August 20th move date. And as mentioned, that move date did not happen. So, half the Internet has had to be squeezed into our small rental house. I will paint you a little picture, because an actual picture would disturb you. From my line of sight at our dining room table, which is conveniently right next to the living room, I see 1) a new couch for our new living room which had to be delivered and is shoved up against the fireplace 2) displaced chairs in front of the window to make room for the couch 3) my son’s new nightstand which just arrived and has nowhere to go 4) a large mirror for the powder room shoved behind the dining room table 5) several boxes of kitchen hardware and bathroom accessories that need to be delivered to the other house. Disturbing, right? In our master bedroom (which is not large), there is a large box holding the chandelier for our new master bedroom, a new large TV, and a 9X12 rug somehow crammed in a large box all lining the perimeter of the room. My writing nook (a small area I had carved out – literally behind the furnace in the basement) is now full of wallpaper books, tile samples, and boxes of recently delivered cushions for new outdoor furniture. I am not kidding. We are surrounded by stuff. It is so crazy you have to laugh. I will be forever grateful to Restoration Hardware for holding a very large delivery for an extra two months. Bless you, Restoration Hardware.
5. Stretched thin. You know the feeling. Too much to do. Not enough time. Mind pulled in too many directions. We had a new nanny start this month and she is wonderful. The kids love her and we’re hitting our stride. But as any working parent can tell you, it is hard work to onboard a new childcare provider to a busy family of five. Our situation is more challenging than most given my youngest daughter’s special needs. It’s a whole set of considerations in its own right. So there are logistics, details, guidance, and a million questions to answer. Our new nanny also was ramping out of her previous job, which led to several work from home while parenting days. Juggle, juggle. I’ve realized when I’m juggling so much, no space is left for positive creative energy. Just keeping up with the to-do list is enough.

So, now I know what it is like to live like a hoarder in a furnace. Juggling a lot of balls. Once will be good for this lifetime. So I gave myself a hall pass on creativity the last few weeks.

But with a new season can come renewal. And I’m ready for it! New school year. New house. New attitude. 

I’ve been practicing gratitude on my long runs and ending my day with a grateful thought. Of course I have many. August brought lots of fun too – really, it did. Great nights out with friends, fun reunions with old friends visiting Seattle, good memories with my kids, and the celebration of my baby’s 11th birthday. All great things.

But now I’m ready for fall. And the new season ahead.