It’s officially summer! There’s a light and lazy feeling about summer that just makes us wish time could stand still. This year, more than ever, I would love to be able to freeze time and make this an endless summer.
Welcome to the 167th edition of The Sunday Spark, a series with weekly thoughts and highlights, nuggets of learning, and a quote of the week. Along with my wish for an endless summer, this week’s edition looks at what’s buzzing at Michigan State, shocking storage unit stats, and transforming plastic waste into clean hydrogen.
On my mind this week: Can we make this an endless summer?
Life just feels a little lighter in summer. School’s out. Trees are lush and green. Flowers are in bloom. And fresh local produce is in season. Fall might be my favourite season, but there’s something about summer that just makes me want to freeze time.
This year, more than ever before, I wish I could make that endless summer a reality.
Two months from today, my daughter Laura will be starting her new life in Australia. It started to feel real this week when she sent me photos of the house she’ll be living in.
Laura has always had an adventurous spirit, and she’s been in a long-distance relationship with an Australian guy for six years, so I’ve known for a while this was coming. Even so, it’s hard.
I’m excited for her, but sad for me. The idea of her living on the other side of the world is tough. She has been living 3,000 kilometres away in British Columbia for the last three years. Compared to the 16,000 kilometres to Melbourne, British Columbia feels like it’s just around the corner.
I’ve been trying not to dwell on it but, as the day draws closer, it’s getting harder to put it out of my mind.
Savouring our time together
Since I can’t freeze time, I’ll savour the time I get to spend with Laura this summer. At the end of the month, I’m travelling to BC to visit her for a week. It won’t be quite so easy to “pop out to visit” her in Australia for a week.
Then, later in July, Laura will be home for three weeks before she leaves for Australia. Colleen will be home for 10 days during that time too. It will be the last time both chickadees will be in the nest for a while.
Let the (non) endless summer begin!
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Three highlights of the week
It’s important to celebrate big milestones and simple pleasures in life. Keeping the trend going, here are three highlights and simple pleasures of the week gone by:
- On Monday, I did a webinar presentation, Putting Together the Retirement Puzzle, for the local ISCEBS chapter. It went really well—67 people attended and feedback was great.
- Fresh Ontario strawberries are in season.
- Vicki Atkinson’s new book Slivers arrived in the mail on Friday. I am so excited to read it!
Things I learned this week
Life is all about learning. Here are three things I learned this week:
Michigan State campus is buzzing
Michigan State University is abuzz, and it has nothing to do with academics or football.
The university has transformed 22 acres of mowed lawns into wild meadow habitat for pollinators. Along with letting the grass grow, they have planted pollinator-friendly plants.
This is a win for the environment, and the initiative has lowered the university’s maintenance costs. Win-win!
(Source: Yale Climate Connections)
Shocking storage unit stats
Self-storage units are popping up all over the place, but this week I saw some stats that made me shake my head.
In the United States, there are more than twice as many storage centres as high schools. And there are more storage facilities than McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. Self-storage centres are the fastest growing sector of real estate investment for the last four decades.
If you’re paying good money for a storage unit, it’s time for a reality check. Visit my decluttering page for checklists, tips and inspiration.
(Source: No Sidebar)
Turning waste into clean hydrogen
An inspiring new project at the University of Cambridge uses battery acid from discarded car batteries to break down hard-to-recycle plastics and turn them into new clean energy.
Even better, the new reactor is powered by solar energy!
(Source: Happy Eco News)
Quote of the week
If we can’t make this an endless summer, we can at least take some sage advice from Thoreau to get us through the winter.
One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.
Henry David Thoreau
I’d love to hear what you think about any of this week’s topics. Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts and ideas.
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It sounds like a bittersweet summer for you, Michelle. I hope you enjoy your time together and best wishes with your daughter’s move to Australia!
Thanks Ab. Yes, it’s tough but I’m excited for her.
Fall is my favorite season, too. Summer is nice because I can walk around in shorts and sandals, but I prefer the cooler weather that fall brings. I’m with you on the storage units. I can understand if you need one while transitioning houses or moving to another city temporarily, but as a permanent solution? Insane. Not sure if you’ve seen the show Hoarders, but there are people in the U.S. who have purchased a second house just to use it as storage.
Thanks, Edward. It’s such a shame that our society defines a person’s worth by the amount of stuff they accumulate, instead of focusing on what really matters. And yes, I have seen Hoarders. It’s quite disturbing.
You’re very welcome. I’m with you, it’s really a shame. I just read in the Wall Street Journal about people earning over $400,000 a year who are complaining that the economy is bad and they are unable to save enough money. I don’t think the economy is the issue for those high earners; it’s probably the accumulation of stuff they can’t afford.
Well I don’t know what to say to that Edward. Yeesh!
An endless summer? Oh, no, thank you. But I can understand why you want one this year, Michelle.
We’ve just been issued a red-alert heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday, which brings a danger to life, and it’s only officially the second day of summer. I shall be pleased when summer says goodbye and welcomes autumn with open arms.
In most years, I would agree with you Hugh. I’m not a fan of extreme heat. Growing up in Lancashire, I was more used to rainy summers. ☔️ I have seen the heat warnings across the UK and most of Europe. It’s crazy. Please do what you can to stay cool. It’s dangerous.
Thanks, Michelle. Oh, don’t worry; I will be staying indoors with the curtains and windows closed. Thankfully, the heatwave breaks on Friday, so we can enjoy proper summer weather again. I’d much rather the rain than the heat and humidity.
I can only imagine the bittersweet feelings of your daughters growing up and venturing out on their own. Though, hopefully you can take comfort knowing Laura has a good heart on her shoulders and someone to look after her and help her become acquainted with a new place and way of life. What an adventure it will be?
It boggles my mind that storage centers are even a thing. Why would you pay to store stuff you aren’t actively using and can’t fit in your home?
Yes it is difficult but Laura will be okay. I would definitely worry more if she were going there on her own.
I know. I just don’t get the whole storage thing, either. It makes sense for temporary storage. We rented one the first summer Laura was away at college so we didn’t have the hassle of moving her stuff all home and then moving it back again. But you have to be realistic about getting rid of stuff you don’t want or have room for in your house.
I love the idea of an endless summer! And I really feel for you, having your daughter move so far away. That would crush me too! So glad to hear that you will be visiting her soon though. Cherish those memories, and know that while she lives in you heart, she can never truly be far from you. Hugs.
Thanks, Deborah. I am very grateful for the technology that lets us stay in regular contact. When my family came to Canada in the 1970s, my older sister stayed behind in England. In those days, it was much more difficult. She always talks of the first Christmas we were gone and how she cried because she couldn’t get an overseas line to talk to us on Christmas Day. It’s not the same as being together but it’s great that we can message each other every day and do video calls.
Ah, an endless summer sounds so lovely. And I love how you are planning to soak up time with Laura before she moves! Great tips on how to cultivate the attitude to make an endless summer happen. Happy Solstice, Michelle!
Thanks Wynne. Yes, I have to make the most of the time we have and try not to think about what happens next. Happy Solstice to you too, Wynne!
Oh Michelle! Your chickadees with you — all together for ten days before “the big move”. I know you’ll savor every second! Sending Sunday hugs! ❤️😉❤️
(And thank you again for being so dear! Your interest in Slivers!)
Thanks Vicki! Sending hugs right back to you! 🤗
Mwah! 😘😉😘
The reality of your daughter leaving soon and the associated feelings make perfect sense. As a fellow parent, I would take comfort in knowing that your daughter is happy. It’s not the same as Australia, but our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live more than 1,800 miles away. We fly out to see them quite frequently, but they are coming to California later today. It will be just the second time they’ve been out since they married three years ago.
Enjoy your time with your son and his family, Pete. It is hard having them far away.
Since Laura moved to BC three years ago, I’ve been out to see her a couple of times a year and she usually comes home a couple of times a year. I think the realization that the visits will be far less frequent because of the distance involved is the hardest part about this upcoming move. She won’t be flying to Toronto for concerts and popping home for a couple of days when she lives on the other side of the world. But we will adjust!
I hope your summer lasts as long as possible! Enjoy your time with both of your daughters.
Thank you. Laura told me last night that she won’t be working at all during my visit in July. It will be good to spend time together.
What a great adventure for your daughter but I totally understand how you feel.
Thank you, LA. I am happy for her. I just wish she was a little closer.
totally understand
What adventures your daughter is going to have living in Australia, but I understand the mom heartache of just how far away she will be. I’m glad that you’ll get to spend time with both girls together before she leaves. Video calls really help and I’m sure you know that since she’s already out on the west coast.
Thanks, Deb. It is exciting and I look forward to hearing all about her adventures. And I also look forward to visiting next year once she’s settled.
Hurrah for local strawberries, for lawns being converted to pollinator meadows, and for time with your family before one beloved daughter zooms off to Australia… Welcome summer!
Thanks Will! I wish you a wonderful summer!