This past week was one of my favorite weeks of the summer.
It was hot. Really hot. The kind of hot where you walk outside and immediately wonder why you bothered fixing your hair.
We spent our evenings at Vacation Bible School, and by the time I got home each night, I was tired in that full-body, happy, slightly sweaty kind of way. You know the feeling. Good tired. Meaningful tired. The kind that comes from showing up for something that matters.
But while we were doing that, the schoolroom was still waiting to be finished. The organizing projects I hoped to tackle were still sitting there. The photo projects were not magically sorting themselves. Planning for next year still needs attention. Work still needs to get done. And somehow, my to-do list did not get the memo that it is summer.
Funny how that works.
Why Do I Feel Like I Have to Earn Summer?
I found myself thinking about that question this week.
Why do I always feel like I have to earn summer?
Why do I have such a hard time simply enjoying the season I’m in without first trying to finish everything hanging over my head?
Maybe you feel this too.
Maybe you tell yourself you’ll relax after the schoolroom is done. After the closets are organized. After the planner is set up for next year. After the photos are sorted. After the work projects are caught up. After the house feels under control.
And if you’re a homeschool mom or a working mom with kids in school, there is always an “after.” There is always one more thing to prep, sort, clean, research, label, file, or plan.
We can get so used to living in preparation mode that we forget how to just live.
It’s like we’re always standing slightly ahead of ourselves, trying to get ready for the next thing, instead of being fully present in the thing we’re actually in right now.
I get it. I really do. I like a finished project. I like a clean space. I like a plan. I like feeling organized and ready. No worries there. Those things matter.
But I’m learning that sometimes my desire to get everything done can quietly steal the joy of the season I’ve been given.
The Moments We Remember Most
This week, listening to stories coming back from camp and the missions trip reminded me of something simple and important.
The moments we remember most rarely come from checking another project off the list.
They come from things like:
- conversations that linger longer than expected
- serving alongside other people
- laughing until your stomach hurts
- playing when you almost said no
- showing up, even when you’re tired
- climbing to the top of the rope jungle gym, just because
That’s what makes a summer memorable.
Not the perfectly organized shelf.
Not the color-coded lesson plans.
Not finally getting every last photo into the right digital album.
Those things have their place. Totally. But they are not usually the things our hearts hold onto most.
We remember the porch conversations. The beach day that almost didn’t happen. The last-minute ice cream run. The silly family moments. The serving. The worship. The people. The feeling of being together.
That’s what sticks.
I Don’t Want to Spend the Whole Summer Preparing for Life
I’m still going to finish the schoolroom.
I’ll still organize.
I’ll still plan for next year.
I’m not pretending those things don’t matter, because they do. Real life wellness includes practical things, and having your space functional helps so much when homeschool starts back up.
But I don’t want to spend the whole summer preparing for life instead of living it.
That was the little heart check I needed this week.
I don’t want to rush through July trying to become “caught up” enough to deserve rest or fun. I don’t want to miss what God is doing in my family, in my home, and in my own heart because I’m too busy trying to make everything productive.
Sometimes we need the reminder that life is happening now, not just after the list is finished.
And honestly, the list is probably never fully finished anyway.
So maybe the better question is not, How do I get it all done first?
Maybe the better question is, How do I enjoy this season while still doing what matters most?
Summer Wellness Counts Too
I think this connects to wellness in a really important way.
Summer wellness is not just drinking water, getting your steps, and eating vegetables.
Those things matter, of course. Keep the water bottle nearby. Eat the protein. Get outside.
But wellness is bigger than a checklist.
Summer wellness is also:
- laughing more
- resting without guilt
- playing pickleball
- spending time outside
- saying yes to the beach
- enjoying dinner on the porch
- letting yourself breathe a little
Those things nourish us too.
They calm our nervous systems. They help us reconnect with our people. They remind us that health is not only about what we avoid or what we accomplish. It is also about joy, peace, fresh air, movement, sunshine, connection, and margin.
That kind of wellness counts.
Especially for homeschool moms who spend so much of the year pouring out.
You do not need to do it all to have a meaningful summer. You do not need a perfectly finished house, a perfectly mapped-out school year, or a perfectly productive routine to be doing summer well.
Start small and grow. Choose what matters most. Let some things wait. Really.
Maybe This Summer Just Needs to Be Remembered
So that’s where I am right now.
Still working on projects. Still planning. Still trying to be responsible with the things on my plate.
But also trying to loosen my grip a little.
Trying to say yes to what matters.
Trying not to treat joy like something I have to earn.
Maybe this summer doesn’t need to be the most productive one we’ve ever had.
Maybe it just needs to be one we fully remember.
If you need that reminder too, no worries. Me too.
Let’s take it one step at a time and make room for both real life and real joy this summer.
Want more simple encouragement and low-tox tips for real life wellness at home? Get my weekly wellness tips here: https://theallisoncrowe.com/landing/weekly-wellness-tips
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