“August is the month of transfiguration.”
– Henry Beston
One of our favourite, and most popular, articles of all time is called “Why Fall is the New New Year.” That post, which we rebooted last year along with the website, is a whimsical look at the early fall season as the real launch to our regular schedules.
Those of us with kids, and those of us who are educators, know this all too well. It’s the time of year that really launches our season of renewal. It’s when we get back to the work of gearing up to the big holidays, starting new courses, refreshing our wardrobes, and meeting new friends.
So, what does that make August?
It’s hard to see from the thick of it, but August is really a time of transfiguration. For us, it’s intended to be the time of winding down before we get wound back up again.
And yet, this year we’re going at it full-tilt. Amanda is finishing her thesis and preparing for some exciting travel adventures for work (and maybe a little with friends). Steve has business projects designed to really tackle the coming end of quarter. And together we have a mountain of medium-sized jobs around the house to get things ready for that all-important September launch into our favourite time of year.
The so-called “dog days of summer” are anything but. August may be one of the “boringest months,” but when you frame these times as times of reset, transfiguration, and careful preparation for the bustle ahead, they become essential moments of pause and focus.
Meditate on August this week, then prepare for the month ahead. You’re on the cusp of the busying times, and that makes this month a gift of time; a time when it’s still warm, rich with new abundance, and calm enough to just breathe. That warm, heavy air is like a blanket of comfort inside. Enjoy it.
School is coming. You’ll need your breath.