August is a month of transition. The change from slow to structure, free to busy. We begin to mourn our summer selves, the ones who’s freedom felt ungoverned and time abundant. But this isn’t a loss. Not of time or opportunity or even freedom. It’s an advantage, a built in buffer to ease ourselves into change and begin to embrace it. In August, it’s important we savor the days without pretending they are already behind us. There are still sunsets to watch and swims to be had. Fields to walk through and skin to burn. So let’s romanticize August. 

Starting a New Hobby

As August so often marks the end of something, choosing to start a new project or learn a new skill can give us agency over summer’s impending end by creating our very own beginning. This activity would preferably be one that could continue into the cooler months, so making sure it is conducive to outdoor and indoor spaces is important. Yoga or meditation is a great example of a year round practice good for the mind and physical body. Learning an instrument or starting a household project. Anything that keeps your mind and body busy with the present moment. 

Spending Time Outdoors

August may be the perfect time to spend outside. The sunsets are still rich, water still refreshing, insects still noisy. Yet the heat has relinquished some of its intensity, leaving us with afternoons that feel impenetrably calm. Finding time to relish in this near perfect weather can draw us closer to the present. I find that spending time near a body of water is particularly satisfying, as the water has been warmed by the entirety of summer’s heat. Bathe in yellow light, wear tops that expose your stomach and pants that show off your knees. Walk barefoot and let mud and grass dirty the soles. Do this before your skin forgets what it feels like to breathe. 

Slowing Down

If a month could be slow, it would be August. It’s one of the longest months of the year, thirty one days meant for soaking in like a swimming pool. Choosing to do slower activities with minimal distractions can stretch the month even further, milking its time and all that it’s worth. Try leaving your phone behind and going for a long walk through the woods. Maybe practice forest bathing (you can learn more about this meditative practice here. Journal. Drink your coffee on the porch in the mornings. Watch sunrises and sunsets uninterrupted. Read memoirs about people you aspire to be. Listen to podcasts about niche things you weren’t taught in school. Cook a dinner so big you’ll have to invite friends and family over to finish it all. Drink orange wine under the low light of late afternoon. Catch fireflies when the sun goes down. Do things that make you feel like you did as a kid, when time didn’t matter because it was so plentiful and scrolling wasn’t yet a twinkle in any of our eyes. Abandon time schedules and welcome slowness into your life. Do this all while you can. 

August isn’t a threat to our freedom nor is it the end of our uninhibited selves. It’s a gift in the form of a month. Of time. Time we should use wisely and treat with gratitude. Whatever the activity is, August is meant to be spent intentionally. It’s nostalgic, reminiscent of childhoods filled with exuberant amounts of opportunity. In exchange for its permissible ease and slowness, let’s give August our best intentions. 

How are you savoring summer? Let us know in the comments!