We’ve been busy lately—busy soaking up as much summer sunshine as we can get. Amelia and I have filled our days with everything lovely about summer. We’ve spent afternoons on a blanket under the shade of green-leafed trees.
We’ve picked strawberries straight from the garden and sucked down their sugary-sweet juices.
We spent Memorial Day grilling and swinging at the park with friends from the ward.
We’ve gone on family bike rides around the neighborhood. (Notice Scott’s new ride? We’re still looking for one for Miss Amelia. Until then she gets to be our Little Mermaid, and we think she enjoys it quite a bit.)
We’ve purchased a swing of our own, so Amelia and all the other neighborhood little ones can enjoy flying through the air. Honestly, Amelia can’t get enough of the swing. She’s even learned how to wave.
We’ve sought out reasons to don bathing suits and enjoying splashing around in water with good friends. We headed back to the Bunny Park, not for the last time, I bet.
Scott and I have even found a few excuses—the Columbus Arts Festival being one of them—to sneak away and leave a sleeping baby behind. We’re planning on finding more reasons for date nights, too! So far we’ve had an excellent summer. Columbus really does know how to treat you right after a long, cold, and snowy winter.
But, I’ve developed this itch that doesn’t seem to go away. I’m ready for change, for something new, for something different. Perhaps it’s that I always envisioned major life changes after Scott’s graduation. I pictured boxing up our house amongst graduation celebrations. I pictured selling our cars driving across the country. Setting up house someplace new. Buying much-desired and sorely-needed new items (what I wouldn’t give for a new couch or a car with AC). Redesigning and recreating our living space. Adjusting to a new locale and meeting new friends. And then, none of that happened.
We stayed. Others moved. And our lives continue unchanged. I still feed Amelia each morning in the same chair. Scott still heads to school each day to study. We eat all our meals at the same table. I do our grocery shopping at the same store. We have no need for new library cards. I’m still driving around in my hot car and sitting on my ripped sofa.
I envisioned jumping from one side of the river to the other via a quick and easy bridge. Instead, I find ourselves walking along the same bank looking for large enough stepping stones that will eventually lead us to the other side. Right now, I’m antsy for different. For new. For change. And I know it’s coming. Like Pocahontas, I know it’s just around the river bend, but it’s not here quite yet.
Consequently, I find myself looking for reasonable ways to inflict not-too-drastic change into our lives, since there’s no real point in spending too much money or time. Here’s what I did today:
I pulled all the books off of my bookshelf and got to sorting and reorganizing.
By the time I was done, it looked something like this. Despite my master’s degree in library science and much to Scott’s amusement, I prefer aesthetics over the Dewey Decimal system when it comes to my bookshelves.
I rather like my rainbow display of novels (who knew there were so many purple novels out there?). And, while it might not be the life altering change I’m itching for, it is at least something. It’s like scratching a mosquito bite—it helps for the moment, but the bite is still there. And that bugs (just a bit). Until then, though, I’m soaking up the summer while I’m still in Columbus to enjoy it.
