Why There is Just One Day Left of Summer

Considering our relationship with time

Photo by Mohamed Nashah on Unsplash

So many of us look forward to summer. It is a time when we can get stuff done … when we can travel … when we can relax … when we can take some vacation time at work … when we can lounge on a boat or by the sea.

It also is a time that gets me thinking about time. Summer always seems so fleeting. It begins, closets get organized, work gets done, planters get filled with flowers, kids get off to camp, to-do lists grow, a trip may be taken and then it’s time to get into back-to-school mode.

Even for those of us who don’t have kids who will go back to school in the fall, we know that summer feeling. There’s a subtle pressure to enjoy the days, to take advantage of time off and to do something “big.” In school at the end of the year, there is the question of “what are your summer plans?” Then, when back at school in the fall, everyone wants to know how you spent your summer. Similarly, for adults, conversations center around what summer trips are planned and how we’re going to spend our time.

As I personally don’t have any big summer excursions planned, this has lead me to think about our relationship with time. Do you feel that you waste it because you think there is so much of it ahead? “Sometime this summer, I’ll get to planning a trip or writing my book or spending time with my friends.”

Or do you feel that summer is fleeting and you need to enjoy every moment? “I need to get on a boat or hop on a plane or spend time with my cousins … today!”

Whichever sort of pressure or flexibility you feel as time clicks constantly in your ear, the truth is we all only have one day of summer. We only have one day to live.

Does that statement scare you? Does it motivate you? Does it invigorate you? Does it get you thinking about what you are going to do TODAY?

A French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, opened my eyes to this idea that there is just one day left to summer — just one day left in general:

“Do you think that I count the days? There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.” — Sartre

This quote is a great reminder to choose today. Choose yourself. Choose to be careful with your actions and with your words. Choose to respect and value time.

Look at how you interact with your family and friends with these expectations about what summer can and should be. We ignore this idea that exists within the power of a simple day throughout the year, as well. We chase after creating meaningful experiences mostly during holidays or weekends. But, what if we simply choose to make, to find and to discover great meaning in today?

Today is all we have. At dusk, this one day left will by creeping away from us. We will start over tomorrow. We will always start over. But, today, we just have one day left.

As we relate more to our consciousness and to being mindful, we realize there is one day left of summer. That one day does not have to include anything grand or wonderful or action-filled. It could include quiet time in your garden trimming roses. It could include trying a new recipe for dinner. It could include walking your dog and paying attention to the sounds and sights around you.

There is one day left of summer. There is one day left always. So, how are you going to spend it?