Easy Livin’

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy — that’s the way the old song goes. After a winter that I thought would never end, this warm, sultry weather sure is welcome. We’ve long put away our toboggans and parkas for Bermuda shorts and ball caps, replaced hot chocolate by the fire with a nice aged bourbon by the fire pit, football games with the crack of the baseball bat, evenings curled up under a blanket for nights listening to the crickets and watching the lightning bugs from the rockers on the front porch. As I close in on my 61 st trip around the sun, I reflect back on one of my former bosses who tried to convince a 20-year-old kid that we’d eventually trade that youthful enthusiasm for what he called “wisdom” — and boy was he right! I look at the reality of fewer calendar pages in front of me than I’ve turned, and realize these changing seasons aren’t just Mother Nature, but seasons changing in our lives as well. I’m looking at my own personal late summer, I believe, but know that’s a blessing.

You see, I lost my dad, and my maternal grandfather, both at 60. Last August, on my 60th, I was just getting over two broken fingers, a nasty tumble, a dose of Covid, and Afib. So we had a few friends over, but nothing spectacular. On my 61st, though, it’s going to be a different story. It’s a strange benchmark, but by making it to that milestone, it’s a personal accomplishment for me. And I pray there’s many more to come, knowing we’re not promised any of it. So I’ll enjoy this easy livin’ summer, and the coming fall and winter, in hopes of slowing them down just a bit to cherish every precious second.