What I Learned in May

It is already the end of May, finally.

Already. Finally.

The final stretch of the remaining school year was certainly a stretch. Like how taffy gets stretched out. On Saturday we at last gathered in an over-heated gymnasium with hundreds others and watched the class of 2016 receive their diplomas and throw their caps. They call it commencement because it’s when summer commences. And yet I’m somehow still amazed we’re two days away from welcoming June.

So let’s slow down this rapid move through the long days for a moment and remember what May taught us. (Join me and others in this slowing – link up with Emily Freeman.)

1. Vegetable oil gets gum out of hair.

You’ll thank me later when you have a panicked six-year-old looking high and low for scissors to snip out the chunk of gum that mysteriously appeared right on the middle of his head during a field trip. (Bonus nanny points right here.)

2. Andy Griffith is the best TV show when you’re sick.

Because when it is funny and adorable enough to keep your focus off the strep infection wrecking your body, but when you fall asleep and wake back up ten minutes later you didn’t miss anything of great importance.

3. The library has a limit on how many books you can have on order.

And it’s twenty. Which seems a little low when you’re gearing up for a summer of light and breezy reading. Do they doubt my ability to read twenty children’s novels in three weeks?

4. Accompanying can be musically satisfying.

I’ve always accompanied as a means to use my piano skills profitably. It has been about helping out other people and making money, not filling my soul musically like solo playing has done for me in the past. But I’ve begun to find myself enjoying the sheer beauty of making music along with other people and finding my heart come alive as I play. (And for those who don’t throw music terminology around for fun, being an accompanist is like being a live karaoke machine for a soloist or ensemble.)

5. Emojis are my love language (and also words of affirmation)

But mostly just from my husband because he uses them perfectly. Every few days I’ll get an adorable message followed by a string of absurdly random emoticons and my heart soars.

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Yeah, May was a bit bulgier than I expected it to be. But I’m looking forward to settling into the simpler rhythms of summer. I made lists yesterday. Like, for the whole day. An epic books-to-read list, a list of what I wanted to be eating, lists of the clothes I want to wear, lists of how I wanted to savor summer. Particles from this list-mania will all end up right here in the upcoming weeks. I hope you’ll join me for all I have planned. Hit the subscribe below to receive these directly to your inbox, or follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Let’s savor summer together.