June, a month for fun and new starts and endings.

June is the first day of summer for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere.  It is the time when school is over and summer vacations begin. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, our road construction season has already started.  Snowbirds have returned north and those who never left have already been to their summer cabins to get them ready for weekend visits to the lake and fishing.  Flowers are blooming and the grass now needs weekly mowing. Campers, RV’s, ATV’s, sailboats, motorcycles and canoes have all be taken out of storage for fun and pleasure.

June really demonstrates that time is cyclical as once again; we go through all of our favorite summer rituals. June is traditionally the most popular month for weddings in North America.  There will be any number of brides looking forward to years of wedded bliss and relatives wondering what to buy the newlyweds.  For those already partnered, it will mean enjoying more weekends at home with friends and relatives or perhaps a trip to visit relatives in another place. June is a time to play and a time to relax.  It can also be a time to stretch our boundaries and challenge our ideas of the world.  Travel to another country can open horizons for all of us as we experience another culture and way of life.  Regardless of what we do, in summer we all enjoy those warm days of sunshine, made even longer by the interesting juxtaposition of the sun and the earth.  Some of us wish these months could go on forever and so we think of moving to places where there is an “endless’ summer.

However, reality never seems to match fantasy and many will just endure the short but sweet northern summers. A few of us will become snowbirds and the rest will remain locals.  For people who live in warmer climates, it is inconceivable to live in Minnesota or Wisconsin year round. Those that do visit here generally come in the summer. One often hears the remark from visitors “Oh, how green it is in Minnesota.”  While living in Hawaii, I was amazed at how many Hawaiians wanted to visit Alaska. It was a very popular vacation destination for many Hawaiians. Perhaps summer for some is going to a very cold place. The grass may not be greener but it is always different. 

Summer vacations can be a time for growth and change as we use our time to try new things, go now places and meet new people.  I am going to discontinue this blog as it has been written and move to a new format by the end of this month.  Right now, I am not sure what it will be. I have enjoyed writing and doing this blog over the past three years or so.  It has helped me find an outlet for my ideas and creativity. However, I am now starting to tire of doing a daily blog and have decided to move to another format. I may choose another theme or just write a blog on my ideas each week or randomly. At this time, I am not sure what format to move to but I will serve notice that by the end of June, I will be retiring Time.  

What does summer mean for you? Where are your memories of summer pasts and your dreams for summer future?  What would you most like to do this summer if you could do anything in the world?  What changes would you like to make in your life this summer?  What is stopping you?