Digging Worms

In the summer of 2007, Disney released "High School Musical 2." My kids were 6 and 8 that summer, and we were really excited for the new movie. I understand why the first scene starts with a clock ticking down time, with students chanting "summer, summer, summer."

What time is it? Summertime

It's our vacation

What time is it? Party time

That's right, say it loud

What time is it? The time of our lives

Anticipation

What time is it? Summertime

School's out, scream and shout

...These are the words they sing in HSM2. Tick tock goes the clock.

I could hear that pulsing chant and the tick of the timer that summer - and I can definitely still hear it now. Those same kids are 23 and 25 this summer... They are young adults, busy with their own lives, not curled beside me on the sofa with popcorn, smelling of sunscreen.

Oh, how QUICKLY the summers go. So, the question becomes, what will you do with your summer? How will you count your days?

For too many of us, each summer becomes a hot extension of the rest of our busy years. We are so busy in these eight or so weeks (8!!), that we scrunch in every moment with something. So, let me share the wise words of my friend Temple. When our kids were small, she would often remark that they would be "home digging worms."

I have no idea if her kids actually ever dug worms, but she seemed to always make time for the metaphor of it. I still think of it when I am finding myself cramming my summer days full. Not unlike finding time to stop and smell the flowers, sometimes you just have to remind yourself to stay "home digging worms." In other words, allow the magic of summer to unwind itself. Even if you don't have kids or don't have young kids at home. Find the magic of summer if you can. Play in the yard, drink from the sprinkler, ride bikes, stay up late, sleep in. Let summer be summer.

For goodness sake, invite boredom into your life for a moment. It is in these moments of quiet, of boredom, of fireflies, of cicadas that creativity is able to sneak out. Summer can be the time that we let our bodies rest, let our minds unfurl. It is when we are literally or metaphorically digging worms that we can truly enjoy life. So, have a little fun.

God invites us to let go a little too, to have a little fun, to love the good earth and each other. God loves our happiness. And our spiritual life calls us to quiet, tranquility, and peace.

So - what will you do with the slowly ticking clock of summer? I hope at least part of it involves digging worms, offering prayers of gratitude, and calming down.

Happy summer. Amen.

Oh God, in restless living, we lose our spirit's peace.

Calm our unwise confusion, bid Thou our clamor cease.

Let anxious hearts grow quiet, like pools at evening still,

Til Thy reflected heavens all our spirits fill.

-Henry Emerson Fosdick