The following was published last August (2024):

I like the depiction of August as “the Sunday of Summer.”

Sunday is the end of the week, and August is the end of summer (almost).

Sunday is a time for slowing down, for rest and recreation, for getting away, and for being with family, friends and nature. It is also a time for worship. And so is August.

Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines “august” as:

“inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur.”

August inspires reverence for the last precious remaining days of summer. You don’t want to let these days slip by unsavored. They slip by because you are not savoring each moment. It’s not time that moves too fast. It’s your mind that moves too fast. Your mind jumps back into the past or forward to the future. Neither past nor future is real; only the present moment is. Revere the present moment as sacred.

Reverence for the present moment is a spiritual practice. All the world’s religions teach us to make the most of every moment, for the opportunity each moment brings may not come again.

In some spiritual practices, being fully aware in the moment is known as “practicing the presence of God.” See the presence of the Divine in all activity, whether it’s washing dishes, being stuck in traffic or conversing with someone. God is present in every moment, in every activity and in every being. Don’t let your mind take you away from that presence.

To paraphrase Simon & Garfunkel, “Slow down, your mind moves too fast. You got to make the summer last.” Take a slow, deep breath. Settle inward. Find your center — your Self. Based in Self, you see more clearly. The “supreme dignity and grandeur” is revealed, inside and outside, in every moment. That’s waking up. That’s how you live through August with no regrets and a ton of gratitude.