A perfect midsummer’s eve

I had one of the best Saturday nights I can remember last month. No, I didn’t spend it with family or friends. I didn’t even leave my back deck.

Earlier in the day, my husband John and I ran errands and performed some of our typical Saturday chores. We were fairly busy, although I managed to enjoy my traditional 30-minute Saturday afternoon nap.

I attended church as usual at 5:30, then came home to enjoy an evening on the deck. Sitting in our backyard reading a book on a perfect summer night is one of my favorite things in life. The temperature was around 80, and the humidity was comfortable.

As the sun began to set – late as usual in June – John eventually went inside to play a video game. But I wasn’t ready to go in just yet. I wanted to soak in the perfect evening for as long as possible. I’m so glad I did.

I noticed fireflies gradually appearing in our yard and our neighbors’ yards. Birds began to flit through the grass, hoping to scoop up worms and insects for a late dinner. I set my book down and was grateful to have stayed up to see the show.

While I like the longer evenings, I don’t typically see fireflies in the summer anymore because I don’t stay up too late at this stage of life. Soon dozens of them were putting on a dazzling light show. I moved my chair closer to the edge of the deck so I wouldn’t miss a moment.

Crickets began their cacophony of music. Since I have tinnitus, I often go to bed with cricket sounds playing on my phone to mask the ringing so I can fall asleep. It was good to hear the real thing that evening.

I didn’t even need to worry about mosquitoes thanks to my neighbor’s “bug zapper” (thanks, Gabe!). My heart and soul were at peace. I thanked God I had taken some time to simply soak in a little show from nature on a delightful summer night.

Summer is such a fun time, and I still look forward to it like I did when I was a little girl. But sometimes we feel like we have to “do it all” and can rush from one adventure to the next. I know I’m guilty of this at times.

I want to embrace more of the calm, quiet moments of summer. Like picking raspberries on a fresh, dew-soaked weekend morning … taking a late evening walk with my dogs … or, simply sitting on my back deck after sunset to rediscover nature and its beauty.

Readers, I hope you can do the same as we enter the mid-point of the season. May you create your own special mid-summer’s eve and have a memory to look back on for years to come!

Amy Shankland is an empty-nester, writer, and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John and two dogs. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.