August And Everything After

First, I apologize to the Counting Crows for stealing the title of their great 1993 album. Now that I have (semi) cleared my conscience, let us move on. While the weather in Kalispell is still plenty warm enough to remind us that we still have some semblance of a summer, we would be remiss to not at least acknowledge that autumn is waiting patiently behind the scenes. As much as I don't want to admit it, the next month on my calendar starts with an "S" and ends in a "burr." The mornings are getting a tad crisper no matter how badly I bask in the afternoon's warmth.

The fair is in full swing and that seems (for me, anyway) to mark the beginning of the end of summer. Last year many of our residents made the trek to the fairgrounds and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They would come back to the shelter in the evening laughing and joking with each other and if you closed your eyes and just listened, it sounded like any college dormitory in America and you would never know you were in a homeless shelter.

 I remember talking to them in the mornings as they would recall the previous night's activities. The lights and sounds of the carnival rides and smells of cotton candy and burgers saturated their conversations. Spending the day at the fair reminded them of a time in their life when they were younger and life was different. We live in a society where we are not easily impressed by anything that is not an iSomething. We are often tethered to a lifestyle that is increasingly harder to support and maintain and unless we can view it in HD, an event is usually considered an antiquity not worth looking at.

I learn a lot from our residents and this time of year is no exception. August is almost over and winter is coming. If you have been (or are) homeless, this has drastically different implications than if you have  permanent housing. But what is the point in worry about something out of your control? Most of life is spent reacting to things that come our way and sometimes its better to enjoy the moment and not fret over every little thing. I'm not suggesting that we ignore our responsibilities or not try and make appropriate plans for the future. Both of these are very important.

I do think, however, that its okay to focus on the moment and enjoy the day before it ends. August will be over soon enough but I can take the feeling with me always.