I think it is impossible not to feel a touch of sadness when summer slowly comes to an end and makes way for autumn. Ok, maybe "sadness" is not the right word, as the emotion isn't all that heavy and also, there are still a bit more than ten days left in this summer. It is simply that the days are becoming shorter, the nights call for a blanket, and in my case, the vacation days - those perfect ones for going to the beach - are being replaced by workdays.
Beach?
Yes, I know; I am surprised myself that I mentioned that place, because in reality, there wasn't much of that. The last time we went to the seashore was in mid-July, before we took a little excursion to a very nice hotel hospital. Yes, that hospital episode was planned; nothing that caught us unprepared, but still, the weeks after that made our summer different from the previous ones.
In the meantime, my mom developed pneumonia and ended up in the hospital. She was there for a total of ten days, and I travelled to my home country as soon as I could arrange things here. My appearance at her hospital room door came as a huge surprise to her, as we hadn't told her I was coming. Only a few family members knew; the surprise was meant to lift her spirits and give her the strength to recover quickly and leave the hospital. I wish all hospitals around the world were as good and well-equipped as the one where my husband had his surgery... but unfortunately, that is just a wish. The conditions of the place where my mom was hospitalised were truly deplorable. Yet, she didn't lose her good spirits and a few days later, we welcomed her home. Those were special days for the family I grew up in.
Although the situations we may find ourselves in can be truly challenging — stirring up many emotions such as pain, anger, or despair — I feel that understanding ourselves as instruments for bringing peace, hope, and light is the way to overcome all those difficulties, for ourselves and those around us. There was also a lot of work in the house and around it, which I truly enjoyed even though you need quite a disciplined schedule to do everything that has to be done. One has to forget about taking some lazy moments, but I can assure you that serving gives much more joy than being served.
My summer probably had this purpose - to show my purpose for certain moments and situations. When it was fulfilled, this metal bird was waiting for me to board and take me on a three-hour flight home. The word home is actually tricky for people having two homes.
The flight was interesting in the sense that it once again confirmed that light always comes after darkness. I know it sounds like a cliché; however, it is still true, right? After takeoff, the view was still clear — I could see fields, rivers, and landscapes of fertile land — but after that, we flew over and through clouds the entire time.
At times, we were surrounded by beautiful, fluffy white clouds, while in other moments, we passed through dark ones that shook the plane a few times. Turbulence is just... normal. It exists in every aspect of our lives, and in the majority of times we survive 😆, so why wouldn't it be normal for flights too?
Yet, I enjoyed these white clouds bathed in light more. 😉
So now, after this different summer for me, autumn is asking if it can take the lead... In some aspects, it has already shown its presence (school has started and one of my notebooks will be this Hive notebook):
...and in other aspects, summer still shows its kindness. The sun is here for us, allowing us to spend a few hours again at the beach. Here, I used one of the towels from my collection (actually, this is a little reminder about the monthly theme in the Hive Collectors Community 😁).
Dear Summer, we have gone through many things together these past three months. Thank you for everything. I am a bit sorry that you have to leave now but I will try to enjoy these last few days of your stay. And don't worry; I will wait for your return next year. 😉