Letter from the editor
Summer is a busy time for Bob and I. We rush from one thing to the next, often measuring our days by deadlines, deliveries and the next place we need to be. The volume is turned up in every part of our lives, both within Shore Local and our nonprofit, Heart of Surfing.
There are more stories to write and edit and many more events to cover. Bob has more advertisers to serve. At the same time, there are surfboards to load, volunteers to organize, families to welcome and waves to catch. Our calendar fills quickly, and one busy day seems to roll right into the next. During the height of summer, it sometimes feels as though we are simply holding on for the ride. Then, almost imperceptibly, something shifts in mid-August. We are no longer accelerating, it’s time to switch to cruise control.
There is plenty of highway left in the season. The crowds are still here. The beaches are still busy, and there is plenty of summer left to enjoy. Yet the pace begins to soften. For a couple of weeks, there is a noticeable lull — one that is easier to feel than to explain. The days remain warm and bright, but the season seems to take a long, slow breath before moving toward what comes next.
I know that the next season is approaching when the crepe myrtles are in full bloom and I hear the familiar sound of the crickets humming. The sun sets a little earlier, shadows stretch a little longer and evening air begins to carry the faintest suggestion of change.
For many teachers and families, the focus shifts to the beginning of a new school year. As teachers prepare their classrooms, families gather school supplies, get fresh haircuts and new shoes in anticipation of the first day. College parents are managing moves, transitions and some difficult emotions.
I used to dread this time of year. I’d feel a little sad when I noticed those first hints that the season was slipping away. But now I see this time differently. It is not quite an ending. It is a pause — a small pocket of time between the frenzy of midsummer and the routines of fall.
There is something comforting about that pause. It gives us a chance to look back at everything the summer held: the stories shared, the time with friends and family, and the memories made. It also reminds us to look around while we are still in the moment. Like Ferris Bueller famously said in his 1980’s movie, “Life moves pretty fast. You have to stop and notice it.”
My first instinct is to fill that quieter space with another thing to do. But I am learning that not every part of the day needs to be scheduled.
Soon, school buses will return to the roads. Schedules will change, vacationers will head home and the Shore will settle into a quieter rhythm. But not yet.
For now, the ocean is warm, the crepe myrtles are blooming and the crickets are singing after dark. There are still beach days to enjoy, sunsets to watch and memories waiting to be made.
Perhaps this late August lull is summer’s way of asking us to slow down long enough to notice it — and to appreciate the season before it changes once again.
Peace & Love, Cindy
