Savoring summer in September

Have you been savoring these last few warm days of summer? We certainly savored them over last weekend, especially knowing that the weather will probably steadily be turning cooler. However, we will still have some beautiful days to enjoy. With days getting shorter, we started thinking about how important it is to really savor the time we have before the winter winds blow.

So, exactly what does it mean to “savor” something? It means to really enjoy it and not be distracted by other things. Sometimes we see people who are fishing or even walking in nature and they are on their phones. When you let yourself be immersed in enjoyable activities and not be interrupted, it has been shown to have many health benefits. Some of these benefits include lowering of stress, blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension. Anger, frustration and fatigue can also be lowered. In addition, mood, concentration and creativity can improve. So there are lots of positives and another perk is that it can just be lots of fun!

What are some things you can do to savor summer in September? We enjoy visiting the many wonderful parks in the area and being in nature. Late summer has many things to savor if you take time to embrace them. Maybe you hear the sounds of summer in the cicadas, the frogs, the variety of birds singing and the babbling of streams. Have you noticed the remaining flowers and how trees are getting a touch of fall color?

What do you still want to savor this summer and early fall? Do you want to be on the water or in the water or go hiking or camping? Maybe you want to go barefoot one more time and feel the grass or the sand before we are again wearing boots. Sitting around a campfire telling stories and eating s’mores are favorite activities. Does sitting on a patio soaking up sunshine or sitting under a tree reading a book, appeal to you? Sports or even backyard games, like croquet, can be fun activities to savor.

We talked to some people to see how they are savoring summer. Amy Fenske brought her daughter and daughter’s friend to Lake Ann. She told us what she is doing to savor the last few days of summer. Amy said, “To savor today, we brought our inflatable paddle board to the lake, filled it up and we went all the way over to that beach and back with these girls.” We asked Amy how often they do paddle boarding. She shared, “We come here a couple of times a month throughout the summer and now we have another summer day.” We thought Amy was squeezing a lot of fun out of these last warm summer days. She agreed, “We might as well do so. At least we aren’t in a hurricane.” Amy said that what she and the girls enjoy most is “just being here on the water and making the most of a really hot day”.

Then we met Erin Reisdorf and her mother, Nancy Stevenson, who is visiting from North Dakota. They were watching Erin’s children swim at Lake Ann Park beach. We asked Erin why it’s important to savor summer. She answered, “Summer is definitely a time to not have schedules and to be able to do what you want to do on a whim. One of my son’s mentioned that it was so hot today that he just feels like going in the water. So we figured that it was the time to do it. It was certainly a summer day today even though we are closer to fall.” Erin’s mother, Nancy, has a saying that she heard and tries to implement in her life. That saying is, “Be where you are.” We agree that these are wise words to follow and they were certainly doing this in their activities today.

We also saw Nataliya Klymyuk and her daughter sitting on a blanket on the beach. They were having a picnic and eating all sorts of healthy foods including corn on the cob. What a wonderful vision on a warm September day.

At the beach we savored many fun experiences to carry with us as nature moves into the colder months. What about you? What are you savoring these last days of summer?

Here are some suggestions: Decide on activities you would enjoy. Then totally immerse yourself in savoring experiences so you leave worries behind and let your mind and body renew. Always remember to “be where you are” as you savor summer in September.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.