It's been three summers now. Wow. Time flies—third summer. The last two have been fleeting, and the sun remained shy, and miser with its warmth. So far, sunny days have been an exception and not a standard. Whereas this year the summer feels like a very long and welcomed present. Three weeks into long, sunny, warm days! Every day feels like forever... in a good way. Every day is a reason to be grateful and feel blessed. I wake up and sleep while the sun is still out. It is also humbling.
I am part of the organizing committee for a chain of events planned for this year's Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations in a few cities. The sun being out well into the evening gives me an excuse to stretch out the weekly meetings with people who have grown a bit too comfortable sitting in air-conditioned rooms with cushy chairs.
As the clock struck noon, I decided to take it a step further. Why am I only doing the volunteering meetings outside? I should also have my lunch breaks outside during work! I stepped away from my desk, dragged a few coworkers and and ventured out for a walk.
Turns out, I was missing out. My colleagues showed me a forest nearby. And oh, what a beautiful spectacle it is! The idea of spending an hour in nature away from the clicking of keyboards and hand raises on screens felt good, but the forest made it perfect.
The forest is brimming with life. Is it a forest? I don't know if it is actually called a forest. But I know this place is bursting with vitality that must be exclusive to such a brilliant summer. The air smelled of grass, mud, and the canal. A purely earthy and grounding scent. Just a minute away from the well-paved street into a sandy trail, I was surrounded by tall trees and fresh green canopies that filtered the bright sunlight breaking it into a soft and soothing light. It reminded me exactly why being contained in a cubicle or doing something I'd never be passionate about would never sit right with me. That's the magic of freshly released oxygen, I guess. Lights the brain up brighter than a neon street light on a foggy night.
My team and I clearly weren’t alone. It seems that the forest, and maybe during such long summers draws a lot of people out. Families picnicked, children were playing around, their laughter echoing the joy of being on summer vacation from school, more ties and shirts enjoying their breaks. And dogs. Lots of dogs. I almost felt betrayed that such a beautiful place was never mentioned to me before...and I had to spend so many lunches indoors.
Among the most delightful parts of the walk were the beautiful canals marking the outside of the forest and crossing through it. The water almost did not shimmer with any sunlight as the beautiful green canopies crowded over them. The brilliant green reflected against it and once in a while, there were ducks that paddled leisurely. I didn't spend much time around the canals but I suspect some beautiful fish might be wandering down there. I can only guess so, otherwise the guy with a fishing rod was just a poser and not actually fishing.
The hour drew to a close quicker than it felt. I forgot to eat my lunch, too. Too busy enjoying such serenity and tranquillity. Such long summers are a blessing and very seldom come by. In fact, even with 27-30 degrees, it sometimes rains in the morning.
Safe to say, I want to get out more often and appreciate nature and these extended summers. The amount of gratitude, grounding, and reconnection I felt was very relieving.
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