This week, the heat of summer sizzled over 115 degrees in our humble little town. Hiding from the heatwave, I found myself searching for every color of highlighter in our home and printing a blank calendar for August, September AND October too (gasp)!
Some quick background info: THE FOSTER FAMILY CALENDAR is the household governing document, which means it’s the only document that is “refrigerator worthy” for 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. This precious document ensures that life on the Foster Family Farm is efficient, productive, and plain ole successful.
(In my defense, I’ve heard through the teenage grapevine that we aren’t the only people on this planet that have a “family calendar” but at first glance, ours may appear to be a bit OTT (over the top). When the dust settles from the previous school year and summer is underway, I will typically take a “break” from the exhaustive scheduling and it will only show the bare necessities.)
So… you can imagine the look on my son’s face when he saw these printouts. I would even dare call his behavior a bit of a “teenage twinge” as his eyes begged for regimented relief (talk about a tongue-twister).
As he watched me schedule dates, times, locations, meetings, trainings, appointments, doctor visits, dishes – all while asking him about his sport schedule (that he didn’t have a clue about this early) – I could feel the tension rising.
Very calmly, yet emphatically, he said, “Mom, you are great at being prepared and it’s what keeps us all on track. But do you ever feel like all of your calendars are so far into the future that it makes you skip time and miss the moment?
OUCH!! It would be safe to say that about this time, it was ME doing the TWINGE and begging for regimented relief.
He was so right. I was so entrenched in looking at the unknowns in the months ahead that I was missing what was right in front of me…
Summertime with my teenage son, who could have been “out with friends,” but he was at home – validating his mother on the importance of being prepared and reminding her to SAVOR the SUMMERTIME SIZZLE.
Lesson heard LOUD and CLEAR.
So, in honor of savoring summer in these last few weeks before school starts, we’re having a special sale. With a $30 purchase, you’ll receive a FREE “Summer Sizzle” pak (first aid pak, match book, pocket knife, and flashlight). Start shopping and make the most of these last days of summer!