A Change Of Wind
The last week of August is traditionally a time for mental shifting. As the last days of summer dwindle away, to be replaced next week by the beginning of colder and darker times, we feel within us a whole psychological modification. We feel the need for change, to say farewell to the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” where we took a break from the humdrum routine of the rest of the year. It’s time now to get back down to business. The kids are heading back to school, and the old routine of dashing around, packing their lunches, helping them with their homework, making sure they’re in bed on time… yes, those days are back! And even if we don’t have children that age, a lifetime of our own experiences have served to instill within us that sense that we need to change our wardrobe, resume our diet, pull ourselves off our lounge chairs, and get back to more worthwhile pursuits. It was nice while it lasted.
Fortunately, there seems to be something within us that consoles us at this time, that reminds us that this change in season isn’t all that bad. There’s a new sense of purpose taking over our mind, and we actually look forward to starting new projects that have been put off for so long. There’s a feeling in the air that we’re really going to get things done now, that we can at last start learning from our reading material instead of just wasting time with useless novels, that we can clean up the house again instead of just mowing the lawn, resume our “real” lives as we simultaneously wave goodbye to the illusional pleasures of summer.
In short, it’s a time of renewal. Not the kind of renewal that we felt last spring when the flowers and trees starting budding in our gardens, but an inner renewal that drives us to rediscover the true meaning of our lives. Those days of soda and pretzels and beer are gone for another year, and now we must regroup, remember what life is really all about, and do something about it. What that something is will vary according to our individual needs, talents and interests, but what we all share in common is the need to resume taking care of our soul. It’s time to get back to those family rosaries, to a more active involvement in the church, to learning more about our faith, to being more active in the care of our neighbor. It matters not so much what means we choose to improve our life in God—what’s important is that we make our choice seriously and live by that choice once it’s made.
The feelings we have at this time of year are, after all, just feelings, right? But as the days of wine and roses give way to reality, these mere feelings are for once not so much a temptation as an incentive. As we’re drawn back to life’s realities we are given the grace to actually want to make the most of them and adjust our life accordingly. This year, let’s not waste our annual opportunity to become all we should be. As Bert the Chimney Sweep sang in Mary Poppins, “Winds in the east, mist coming in. Like something is brewing and about to begin.” It’s up to you and me to make it happen.