summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime

Seven years ago, I wrote a post on this blog entitled "free at last, free at last!," about how very good it feels to reach the end of a long school year and gaze out at the blissful summer stretching out ahead.

Between then and now I got into a terrible habit of overcommitting myself over the summer. The memory of relaxation lulled me into a false sense that I could take on just one little project...or maybe two...or... And then, suddenly, that wonderful feeling of school being out for summer was gone.

Last summer, I think, was the last straw. Picture the Impossible was a wonderful, gratifying project to create and implement. But it swallowed my summer (and fall) whole, and left me struggling to get my energy and engagement back when it was done.

This summer, I deliberately chose not to take on any new projects. And one week after commencement, I already feel like a new woman. I'm spending plenty of time in my backyard hammock, reading trashy novels (currently working my way through J.D. Robb's "In Death" series) on my iPad, tending to my Upside-Down Pation Garden (jury's still out on how the tomatoes will do in that, although they're definitely safe from the dog digging them up), and getting plenty of sleep. But at the same time, I can feel my intellectual energy perking back up. I'm playing with technology in way that I haven't in a long time, and finding it fun rather than frustrating. I'm cooking up new ideas for research and classes, without any stress about implementation timelines. I'm plotting out a late-summer cross-country road trip with Gerald and Alex (we'll ship Lane off to San Francisco for the duration). And, as you can see, I'm actually blogging again.

I have no idea how long this euphoric state will last. But I'm awfully optimistic. I have three more months of summer still to go. Life is good.