THE AUGUST EDIT

A recap of the month, what I'll be leaving in this month, what I am taking into September.

I’m not sure about everyone else, but for me, August has been rather relaxed. I think most are traveling and vacationing a bit more and getting out of the city. The restaurant I work at has felt a bit more quiet than normal. People are beginning to develop anticipation for fall. It’s always funny how we, as creatures, fall into such a comfortable routine annually. Month to month, year to year, it’s all very cyclical. This is one of the many reasons I consider September to be the true “fresh start” as opposed to January. For me, this rings especially true due to my birthday falling in September (Virgo girl here). It always feels as though August is the closing of a chapter and the more appropriate end of the year. Lately, I have run into others who share this same sentiment - we’re all still secretly firmly rooted in the September to mid-June school year. Did you know that this school year time frame is largely based around the agrarian calendar? The farming industry had a large influence on this, due to children being needed in the summer months to help with the busy season for harvests. I think it is somewhat endearing that we fall into such a structure like this. Our adult brains have been well-programmed to allow the natural cues of the seasons to dictate our annual progression. Thus, August has always felt like a ‘closing credits’ scene to me. I am making goals for my new year with a new age; I am reflecting on the past year and thinking about wins and losses, roses and thorns, good and bad. We, as human beings, have the unique opportunity to truly learn from every experience. I believe that it is our liberty, as individuals, to take advantage. For me, this looks like visualizing the path to the potential that I see in myself, and acknowledging that this journey will have failures that are simply there to teach you. So here are my rose (good), thorn (bad), and bud (something on the horizon):

ROSE: I have two roses this month.

1. My [solidcore] classes have been HITTING lately. I have been feeling stronger than ever and really getting into a rhythm with it this month. Also, August was my one-year anniversary of starting a membership, which was a great feeling. To have consistently kept up with weekly workouts for a year feels like a huge accomplishment and made my August even sweeter. I even upped my membership so that I have 8 class credits each month now. I’m always pleased to find activities I enjoy doing that are also net-positive.

2. TATE. MCCRAE. My girl is phenomenal. We saw one of her shows at TD Garden and she nailed it - so talented! A very fitting

THORN: Toward the end of the month, my car battery died while in a parking garage (this is your reminder to always double-check that you’ve turned your lights off when getting out of your car!). It had to be towed, which is very frustrating, but the experience would have been far worse if not for the grace of those who I had to recruit for assistance (security guard, parking garage attendant, AAA guys). Each saw that I was clearly having a stressful experience and they extended compassion and courtesy. I believe that courtesy is a very powerful skill that will get you far in life, and while it sucked to get my car towed, I am grateful that people chose kindness that day.

BUD: I have quite a few ‘buds’ for the next month, but I’m trying to narrow it down to three.

1. I am going on a quick weekend trip to the Cape the first weekend of September, which will be my first REAL time going to the Cape. The closest I’ve been was for my elementary school trip to learn about the Pilgrims in Plymouth (Plymouth Rock is incredibly underwhelming if you were wondering).

2. My 25th birthday is in a few weeks! Lots to be excited for around that time. I also have so many other birthdays I get to celebrate this month, which is so fun and certainly keeps me occupied.

3. I’ll be going to the Red Sox for my birthday! I think that game will probably be the last of the season that I attend. For anyone that hasn’t been to Fenway Park, it’s an experience I would highly encourage you to partake in; whether the reason is a game or a concert, the historic park is such an energetic space during any event.

I know that this is probably a quote from somebody somewhere, and it is certainly cliché, but you can either make life happen or let life happen to you. However, I think of it as a balancing act. As I must often remind myself when I’m feeling stuck, you cannot control what happens to you. But you have autonomy in the sense that you can control how you react to the way life comes at you. That being the case, I am looking forward to greeting September with open arms and seeing what it has to bring.