The summer season is drawing to a close and now it is back to the grind.
For some people, September is an extension of the summer season. A fragmented month, sitting on a fence, with one leg in August and the other one in October, without exactly knowing where to go. Of course, time will never take a reverse course, which means that even if you dread this, September will sooner or later lead to Autumn, but for some more days-even weeks- you have the luxury to choose: should you rather say “have a good rest of the summer” or “have a nice winter”?
Back to school probably gives the answer to this dilemma. Have you ever heard anyone wishing “have a good rest of the summer” at the first day of the school year? Parents dropping their kids off to school keep wishing “happy school year” (kind of glad that small kids finally pull themselves together, do their homework and sleep early – what a relief to follow this daily routine!) and leave behind swimming at the sea, eating ice-creams, turning the clock to zero to begin the countdown to the next summer. At the same time, students return to lecture theatres and prepare for the academic year ahead of them. Indeed, for those starting out their university years, September will be a month spent searching for accommodation, fostering new friendships, an exciting chapter in one’s life.
The funny thing is that no matter how much time has passed since you left school, the beginning of the school year still seems to concern you. This voice you dread to hear, telling you “go to bed early, you have to wake up for school tomorrow” reenters our consciousness in September. It is like an echo from the past but yet very relevant to our present, reminding us that no matter how much we do not want Summer to end, we must, too, move with the seasons. Even if Back to School has been replaced by Back to Work, and the school desk by the work desk, you still feel this urge to count your swims at the sea, the ice creams and the days of holidays and to accept that at any moment your summer tan will be hidden underneath your autumn jacket.
Back to reality! The reality impatiently awaits you and this is not necessarily a bad thing, if you think that now is the time to make plans and decisions that might make this reality nicer. This is because September may feel like August in terms of temperature, but in reality, September feels like January. A second beginning within the year, a restart that inspires you to think about the things you want to change, to keep, to throw away and finally to make the first step towards a new beginning. Not this new season with the 1rst of January as starting point, but rather the new season starting as of September with the return to school.
Ok, this routine of going back may seem a little glummy compared to thoughts of you basking in the summer sun on the beach, while you listen to the sea waves. On the other hand, chances are that you might have missed, even just a little, saying good morning while passing by to grab take-away coffees on your way to work. Stopping by to your nearest Coffee Island shop and the coffee house smell that awakes you pleasantly before you start the day. There are moments that belong to the carelessness of the summer and then there are those moments that fit to the everyday city life. Although you cannot easily admit it, there comes a time where you can say “enough with summer” and not be misunderstood. Where you can reluctantly whisper your mother’s saying “back to the grind” without shame because most people think the same but do not dare to say it out loud.
In this season’s Back to Reality, try to fit as many plans as you possibly can. Change things that make you feel bad in your everyday life and only keep those that boost your mood. Incorporate the summer mood in your daily routine and give it more colour. Make every day worthwhile and find a way that makes you go to work with joy. Daily life does not exist on its own, but only because you make it. Start the morning with a specialty espresso from Coffee Island and allow yourself the time to live moments of pleasure. This going back may become Back to a better Reality than back to the grind!
