Summer

Today, I am filled with gratitude that I am able to not work outside the home. In other words, I currently do not have to go anywhere in the summer should I choose not to. This keeps me healthy, but it can also be a little bit boring. To be fair, I can get out in the early morning into the cool shade of our backyard. But, once the sun comes fully up, I’m inside. Since the sun doesn’t go down until 9 pm, that means all day. Let’s do an experiment: imagine you are sitting in a dark, air-conditioned house all day. How would you spend your time?

That is the question I face every day. I have three blogs I write. I am working on a book project that I have already mentioned. I’m preparing to get an online masters degree from Iliff School of Theology. That will keep me busy come September! I also do housework, read for both research and pleasure, call and write my senators, and hang out at my favorite blog. I am involved in my presbytery’s effort to address homelessness in our presbytery, and I edit the local homeless newspaper, The Cleveland Street Chronicle. All while inside my home. That might sound suffocating to you, but to me this is freedom.

I get to choose when I go out and by staying in most of the time, I have a better chance of feeling better when I do go out. When I worked full-time outside the home, I barely had the energy to do much of anything else. Keeping up with my family seemed a chore. When I lived in Chicago, I worked outside one day a week. I’m still not sure how I managed that in the summer. I know I was a lot sicker than I thought at the time. We have lived in Cleveland for almost a year, and while the sun is stronger and out longer, I feel better. Because I only go out when I choose.

I have to say, I feel a little unsociable because I don’t stand and talk with the neighbors like my husband does. I hope they understand. I do what I can and wait for the fall when the UV count goes down to manageable levels.