A better idea

The season is about to change, I can feel it. Evidence that fall is around the corner is everywhere. August has never been my favorite month – it’s hot and dry, most gardens are looking parched and leggy, the grass is brown. But despite the dusty heat there is a ripple of excitement in the air.

The sky was filled with enthusiastic honking this afternoon – young geese were beginning their end-of-the-summer flight school.  Confident instructors were encouraging teenaged honkers to get into line.  The teens seemed more focused on the view than the formation, the traditional V was scattered on the horizon like pepper above a sparkling sea.  Thankfully it’s still early – final exams aren’t scheduled until the leaves begin to turn.  

Up the hill, in the middle of town, a mother goose was herding her gaggle of youngsters across a busy street.  Her honk seemed annoyed and guttural as she scolded – her progeny, obviously reprimanded, waddled between cars behind her.  It’s tough growing up the burbs, especially for goslings. 

The geese seem to know the drill, they are preprogrammed to prepare. Lift-off is still several weeks away but they’re getting their shit together even as we humans milk the dog days of summer. We’re still building sandcastles on the beach and slurping sangria on restaurant patios while those noisy honkers perform precision calisthenics in the sky – they don’t have the luxury of procrastination. 

I couldn’t pull my act together to get into shape before the season started so now I’ve resolved to get into shape once it’s over. I plan to be all back-to-business when the kids head back to school.  The geese will be off to points south to wait out the winter and I will be counting points here at home – I think perhaps theirs is the better idea.