To Everything There Is A Season (Turn! Turn! Turn!)

Today is the first official day of summer. School is wrapping up for my kids. We’re spending more time outside and taking in as many of the Montreal festivals as we can. I have the itch to be away from my desk more, so I’m planning some time working in libraries and cafés. And I can’t get a certain song out of my head.

When the seasons change, routines and habits often change with them. I’m no longer planning comfort food meals to warm us up. Instead, I’m usually looking for the quickest thing that doesn’t heat up our humid kitchen. And our dessert has been ice cream from the depanneur (the convenience store, for my readers outside of Quebec) and walking to the park to people-watch. The kids are naturally getting up earlier and going to bed later. It’s throwing off my evenings because I’m not getting the same amount of alone time at the end of the day as I was just a month or so ago.

Chairs, a blanket, a book, baseball gear, and some snacks make for a perfect summer afternoon at the park.

I find noticing what’s changing about the seasons to be useful. I like being able to catalog all the things that I’m enjoying with the change - no more piling on layers just to leave the house, no more cold hands while biking, meal plans are simpler, hanging out in the park can fill a lazy afternoon. And I like noticing how it changes the flow of my day so that I can figure out if something needs to be tweaked. To get more of that alone time I crave at the end of the day, and to fend off being Yelling Mom at bedtimes, I sneak away for a few minutes of quiet time in our home office while the kids are goofing around and getting the last of their energy out before bedtime. It gives me a few minutes to recharge, and it gives them space to be noisy kids.

Learning to notice a shift

I’m not sure if I paid close attention to the season changes until I was twigged to the concept by listening to a podcast called The Lazy Genius. The host, Kendra Adachi, provides tips for how to prepare for shifts with the changes in the season and how to take stock of what’s important about those shifts so that you put your energy into the things that matter to you. Each seasonal change there are episodes about various types of shifts that can take place - in meal planning, in how you’re socializing, in how you’re structuring your day or week. (There’s a big back catalog if you want to go deep on the topic! And she covers lots of other ways to be thoughtful about how we go about our days.) Regardless of the theme she ties it to, she drives home the value of taking time to pause, reflect, and see if anything needs a tweak to help you move into the new season.

I also appreciate episodes where Kendra talks about shifts in the seasons of life - time of new starts at jobs or a new home, times of grief, times of celebration. For my family, summer also marks the beginning of a transitional season. We’re saying goodbye a lot right now - to school, to friends, to experiences that we’ve been enjoying here in Montreal - and we’re making a lot of plans that revolve around packing and resettling fully back in Kitchener. I’ve got tentative plans with a few people to reconnect over coffee, and a backyard movie night with friends to look forward to. It’s important for me to have those things to look forward to when I need energy to push through the inevitable stress of the move. And in all this transition, I’m clinging to some sameness by sticking to my twice a week gym routine and some recurring appointments on my work schedule. Hanging on to that bit of structure makes me feel grounded when I know this season of life is going to be full of transition. (And packing. So. Much. Packing.)

Do you notice a shift for yourself when the seasons change? Do you do anything in particular to notice and to adjust? Do you like hanging on to some consistency in your shifts, or does it work better to let go of old routines and start fresh with the change of the season? There’s no right or wrong answer - it’s all about what works for you as you move into a new season on the calendar or a new season of life.

I’m doing a survey! Do you have capacity in this season of life to share your insights to help me shape my services to meet your needs? To learn more, check out my earlier blog post on the topic.