When I was a kid, this calendar hung in a classroom and I’ve never forgotten it. To this day, I think of fall as an upward climb, winter as a mountaintop to rest on, and spring as a speedy slide into summer.
And here we are in the valley of July.
I have a friend who calls July the Saturday of summer. It’s hot, a time to move slow, to sit on a porch and watch the sun drop and the fireflies emerge. There’s no need to rush in July. It’s the perfect time to pick through that stack of books you’ve been meaning to catch up on.
In that spirit, I offer you a few things to peruse that you might have missed. Pour yourself a glass of lemonade and take your time.
Here’s a piece I wrote for Blue Ridge Outdoors on running with or without music. It’s a follow up of sorts to an earlier piece I wrote about taking up running in middle age (scroll down to Run For Your Life).
And here’s Old Blood, a lovely, languorous meditation on belonging written by one of my students.
Have you listened to the Story Connection podcast? Two new episodes have dropped recently, with great stories on family frustration and adventures in dating. These are short, funny, and moving.
If you need some inspiration, check out the commencement speech tennis champ Roger Federer gave at Dartmouth last year. It’s full of gems that apply to the writing life.
And if you just want some feel good entertainment, I recommend Pixar’s Oscar-winning short Kitbull.
Take it easy, friends, and keep writing!
J.
I've never seen a round calendar before, and I love how it shaped your sense of time and existence! There's an essay right there!
Also nice to hear someone extol the joys of summer! For it me, summer is always rushed due to the sheer amount of things I want to enjoy and savor, like floating on my back in the water, walking barefoot, or listening to the cicadas, katydids and frogs! It's over way too soon!
July is the perfect month to slow down. Thanks for confirming, Julia!