This week’s post is about slowing down during the summer. I offer some reflections on the gifts and challenges I’ve experienced. I will continue to “practice” during August, including taking a break from posting Critical Conversations. My next post will appear on September 8.

Every generation has its favorite summer songs. Nat King Cole sang of those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.” Summertime reminds us that “the living is easy.” The Beach Boys celebrated long days of sun, surf, and romance. Whatever the generation, these songs celebrate summer as a season for slowing down, spending time with family and friends, and simply enjoying life.

Sadly, that rhythm has collided with our technology-driven, always-connected culture. There is always something to do, watch, answer, or respond to.

Yet despite the hours we invest, those connections don’t always nourish us or add value to our lives. Even meaningful work can become just another endless to-do list we begin to resent.

Spaciousness is a spiritual gift. Spiritual writers from many traditions encourage silence, retreat, Sabbath, and time alone with God and those we love. Prayer, meditation, and mindfulness quiet the noise and create room for peace, gratitude, and deeper awareness.

Henri Nouwen reminds us, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.”

Slowing down allows families and friends to spend unhurried time together and reconnect more deeply.

It also encourages hobbies that nurture the spirit, mind, and body—gardening, walking, reading, riding a bike. There are many ways to slow down and many benefits from quieting the noise and being fully present.

As a person inclined to say yes to one more idea (and I have a lot of them!), it’s easy to stay busy and miss the gifts of summer.

This past year was especially challenging. After Joy Jones and I co-authored our book, I plunged into learning how to launch it. As an idea person—and a first-time self-publisher—I had plenty of ideas but little experience knowing which ones were worth pursuing. I tried almost all of them. Eventually I realized I wasn’t enjoying the process. It was stealing time from relationships, rest, and joy.

Through prayer, meditation, and reflection, I began asking what was driving my busyness. Was it a desire to change the world? To be seen as making a difference? To recover the money invested in writing and publishing? Whatever the motive, it had quietly begun to run my life.

Trying—and failing—to slow down, I knew I needed help. So I turned where I have learned to turn: prayer and meditation, the Twelve Steps, and supportive therapy.

Eventually I made a conscious decision to schedule very little from June through August and simply see what I learned.

Like life itself, it has been an up-and-down experience, bringing growth and more joy. One gift was having time to say yes to people and activities I had been too busy to enjoy.

Among the greatest gifts were more time with my grandchildren and a renewed commitment to putting relationships first. Geraldine was delighted when I embraced her suggestion that we have a weekly date every Friday. We’ve taken day trips, visited family and friends, and enjoyed quiet days at home.

I’ve also long been interested in our family history. My brother’s 75th birthday inspired me to interview cousins, aunts, and uncles and write a short family booklet, something I loved creating and that others appreciated receiving.

Not every moment has been easy. There were periods of restlessness, sadness, and lethargy as I faced myself without constant busyness. But the greatest gift was spiritual. My trust in God’s love and care deepened. I found myself relying more on God’s guidance in each moment and worrying less about predicting or even controlling the future. I’ll keep practicing in August and look forward to sharing what I continue to learn this fall.

Slowing down may come naturally to you. If it does, treasure that gift.

If it doesn’t, and you feel driven by endless things to do, perhaps this is a good time to pause and ask what might bring you more joy this summer. Take the kids or grandkids to the pool or a favorite playground. Go camping. Visit a museum or park. Spend time with a friend or relative. Enjoy a quiet weekend alone or with someone you love. The possibilities are endless.

We all get to choose the gifts we invite summer to bring, just as we choose how we will spend each day. Practicing spaciousness and slowing down has immediate rewards and may become one of the most life-giving habits we ever develop. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I’ll see you in September.

“The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting, and trustworthy conditions.” — Parker Palmer