Letter from the editor
I was sitting on the couch the other night, perfectly content in my summer state of mind, when a commercial came on.
“Back to school!”
Backpacks. Notebooks. Lunchboxes. Happy kids in brand-new sneakers skipping toward a school bus. “Sharp pencils and sharp looks for back to school,” it said.
I cringed.
There is still sand in my car. Our patio umbrella is up. My calendar still has plenty of beach days left.
Can we please stop rushing summer?
It seems like just yesterday we were pulling beach chairs out of storage, counting down to Memorial Day and talking about everything we wanted to do this summer. Now, somehow, we’re staring at the final three weeks before Labor Day. Summer always seems to do that. We wait for it all year, and then it flies by faster than we ever expect.
But despite the commercials, summer isn’t over yet.
There is still plenty of time to do the things we said we were going to do back in June.
Mid-August is when I get serious about squeezing in all the things that make summer so special to me: boating trips, nights strolling the Boardwalk and long days in the surf.
I encourage you to get serious too. Time has a way of slipping by faster in the summer. Go to the beach after work, even if you only have an hour. Take a walk on the Boardwalk without worrying about how many steps you’re getting. Get the ice cream cone — and order the sprinkles. Ride the Ferris wheel. Play miniature golf. Listen to live music under the stars. Watch the sunset over the bay. Take the kids crabbing. Go fishing. Ride your bike or rent a surrey. Sit on the beach until the lifeguards leave and the crowds thin out.
Do something you haven’t done all summer. And take a picture.
We sometimes think memories have to come from big occasions — vacations, celebrations or carefully planned outings. But years later, it’s often the ordinary moments we remember most.
The sandy feet in the back seat. The smell of sunscreen. The sound of the screen door slamming as kids run outside or a favorite song playing with the car windows down. Those are the pieces of summer that stay with us.
August has a different rhythm at the Shore. By now, we know where we like to sit on the beach. We have our favorite ice cream order and our preferred route around summer traffic. The days feel familiar and comfortable.
Maybe that’s exactly why they can slip past so fast.
Soon enough, backpacks will replace beach bags. School buses will return to the roads. The sun will set earlier, and another summer will become something we talk about in the past tense.
There’s no reason to rush it.
One of the gifts of living at the Shore is that summer surrounds us. People save all year to spend one precious week in the place we get to call home. Sometimes seeing the Shore through their eyes is a good reminder of just how special it is.
So for the next three weeks, try to say “yes” more often. I know it’s a little work but you’ll find it’s worth it. Say “yes” to another beach day. “Yes” to dinner outside. “Yes” to waking up early for a sunrise. “Yes” to one more outdoor concert, one more night on the Boardwalk.
September will arrive soon enough. For now, summer is still here. Make some memories.
Peace & Love, Cindy
