Resting in Reston

I barely noticed this summer that June turned to July, and July to August (and, now, August to September). My former colleagues (and some former students) shared back-to-school photos on Facebook, and I scrolled past them in a blur. That is no longer my life. I am happy for them, but I do not miss it.

The past eighty days have been a wonderful time of rest. I have had only two jobs this summer, both part-time, and I have done all sorts of selfish, luxurious things with my wealth of remaining time. I have slept past 4.00 in the morning (sometimes even as late as 8). I have cooked meals I have always wanted to learn to cook. I have read books for pleasure just because they looked interesting in the library! I have, most importantly, sat and had coffee dates in which I. and I just talked.

I haven't taken many photos this summer, but I did grab my camera one day before I. and I went on a walk around the neighborhood, so I'll share this little snap:

One of the things I love about our new life is that we have easy access to walking and biking paths.  This bench by a pond is not more than a mile from our home. Sometimes turtles crawl out to sun themselves on one of the dead logs that juts out into the pond. Even in the city, we are surrounded by nature, but, especially in the city, we finally have time to enjoy nature together again.