The depths of our academic ambitions for this year are coming to a close. Memory Master, Blue Books and Classes are over and my heart is longing for rest. That in-be-tween time where what I have striven to accomplish is absorbed into the depths of my being. It is the beauty of classical learning, the challenge of doing hard things well and then the quiet that allows those hard things to become just another part of who we are.
Summer is the time to absorb. Letting the new things sink into being old, known, parts of our lives. Suddenly, at summers end, I have expanded my capacity to attempt new hard things, as the ones conquered last year have become part of the foundation of my knowledge. After genuine rest I am ready to run hard again. But for now, my heart is turning toward summer: to hear the humming of the bee, to watch the water slipping by, to squeeze my toes in the sand and reflect.