Technically, we have a few more weeks of summer, but Labor Day weekend marks the official end of summer. Once again, a time of transition.

The end of summer is always hard for me, personally.

Summer is my favorite season. I relish the heat, the ability to walk barefoot through the grass or in the sand.

Quick side note: the photo above is of me, on the beach in La Jolla, California, last year.

I notice how I want to hold on to this time.

In these waning days of summer, the chill in the air betrays the sun’s strong rays, and I feel my body tighten its grip as it tries to cling to Summer.

Memories of back-to-school anxiety come flooding back: anxiety about social dynamics in class and what the new school year will bring. Each year I wondered: will this year be the year I’m finally revealed as a fraud who can’t keep up?

Even though that never happened, and even though I’ve been out of school for 20 years, I still feel the fear of it.

Nobody talked about this when I was growing up, or even in grad school. I don’t even think I could articulate it then.

Now, armed with tools and awareness, I can feel my body contract as the weather shifts and September opens.

The season of change is here. A season of new hopes, new dreams, and new fears.

Now I have tools to address them, and I know how to navigate through the transition time, when the time comes.

There is no need to rush there though.
For now, it is still summer, at least for a little while longer.

I choose today to be at peace in the present, awake and aware for every last drop of the shimmering sunshine.

Holding these last days of summer, but not holding on to them. Staying present to this time, slowing it down and expanding it. Resting in its warm embrace, one breath at a time.