6 Things I Learned This Summer

It’s hard to believe Labor Day is already over and along with it, the traditional finale of summer. Even though I have a difficult time saying goodbye to this season every year, I want to pause for reflection and think back on a bit of what I’ve learned this summer.

I love how Emily P. Freeman encourages us to do this every season. After reading her “What I Learned” posts for years, I finally joined in sharing my own this past spring and want to share a bit now as well. Many of the things I learn that stand out to me are ones I have known before but that have resurfaced and seem significant once again. Maybe they will inspire you to think of and share your own list, too!

1. Changes and transitions (even good ones) require a lot of emotional energy from me.

I’m so excited to be going forward to school right now (and I’m already loving it), but the decision-making process and anticipation have been a little more overwhelming than I expected. It was kind of funny when I interviewed with the professor for the program, and he asked if I had counted the cost for what it would take in time, commitment, etc., to pursue this degree. I responded with a laugh and said, “I think I’ve been counting it a little too much!” I know a few people in my life can vouch for that truth as well!

Then I also decided that before I could start school, I needed to finally transition my blog to this self-hosted site (that I don’t have quite like I need to yet but have taken the plunge anyway)… and I started an e-mail list so I can keep in touch with sharing “Treasure Hunt Tuesday” encouragements each week even when I don’t have a full blog entry to post here.

(P.S. It still makes me nervous to ask, but I’d love it if you would fill out the form at the bottom of this page to stay in touch and get my email notes!)

Thankfully now that both of these adventures are underway, I’m feeling more like myself even with the extra time commitments. But it has taken some time, to be sure.

And I’m learning to be gentle with myself and give myself the space I need to process everything–physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I think it’s part of the reason I love following Emily P. Freeman’s work, because I always take in and exhale a deep breath every time she mentions “creating space for your soul to breathe.” Yes and amen.

2. I love having scientific support for my favorite activity.

There’s just something about swimming that makes everything else feel better, especially when I can do it outside with the summer sun. So I was thrilled to come across an article recently with even more reasons from scientists to keep swimming:

Just 20 Minutes of Swimming a Day Helps You Beat Stress, Sleep Better, and Relieve Body Ache

Now that summer is over, I will have to settle for swimming inside at a local rec center, but I’m grateful for that opportunity as well.

3. It’s amazing how timely (or timeless) some classic books can be.

Of course this is something I’ve known before, but the truth hit me afresh this summer. I’d been listening to Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis on audiobook, and over and over I would pause the narration to make notes and think how fitting the words are in today’s culture.

One example I keep coming back to is how Lewis asserted that the devil “always sends errors into the world in pairs–pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. You see why, of course? He relies on your extra dislike of the one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled. We have to keep our eyes on the goal and go straight through between both errors.”

Oh how those words ring very true right now.

I also couldn’t get over the timeliness of reading The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer for school recently. (I wrote more about that last week if you’d like to check it out.)

4. I think I might finally know my Enneagram number.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept, the Enneagram is a tool describing nine different personality types or ways of seeing the world. As I’ve read about it over the past few years, I’ve identified as a four, a six, a one, and a two, and I even have a lot of the characteristics of a five, but none of those really seem to fit just right.

Never once did I consider that I could possibly be a nine (especially since I can be so opinionated at times), but after listening to Annie F. Downs sharing episodes devoted to the topic on her #EnneaSummer2019 podcast shows, I found myself relating more and more to those who self-identified as nines, especially toward the end of that particular episode.

The more I read, the more I relate to the “peacemaker” qualities of a type nine, even though I don’t have the typical laid-back kind of attitude that would usually be expected. But maybe that could be explained by my extremely strong one-wing! Or maybe I’m wrong and still need to investigate more to figure it out (laughing).

But it has been interesting to learn about the way different people experience the world and put language to some of our uniqueness. There is a lot to explore!

5. I will stay at the lake a few extra hours just to see sunsets like these:

I just can’t help myself. The beauty is good for my heart and helps “create space for my soul to breathe.” So it’s definitely worth carving out the time!

6. Summer is still my favorite season.

This one comes as no surprise to those who know me well or anyone who has read this far, but it feels worth repeating as the season comes to a close. I have loved taking in the long daylight hours, going on late evening sunset walks, enjoying the sun and the pool, and being refreshed by the more leisurely pace… all treasures indeed!

Now the days are getting noticeably shorter, and schedules don’t allow for as much time outside, so I will have to take advantage of smaller windows when I can. But I know as fall comes there will still be many treasures to find, so I will celebrate those with gratitude as well. And I know there will continue to be a lot to learn!

I’d love to hear what you’ve been learning lately and any treasures you’ve been noticing, too! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message anytime.

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