I feel a little bit desperate in the summer. As though we have to wait centuries for one hour of daylight. Which is basically true.

Vancouver is the third rainiest city in our entire country. Canada is big.

It rains over 161 days per year. THAT’S 44% OF THE TIME.

When we consider that we get a couple of months of dry summer weather…come fall…then winter…then spring…it’s wet. Like most days.

Yes…yes I do want you to feel sorry for us. Never mind that it’s one of the most beautiful cities and every year we’re rated in the top few places to live in the world. I guess we’re in our own sopping Shangry-la as so many want to live here despite the weather.

So when it gets warm and dry enough to hang out on a nude beach here, we’re all pretty stoked. There’s a laid back summer culture in this city, people leave work early and take a while to get back to you, we extend our long weekends and shorten our sleep to catch as much of this as we can.

Every moment I spend inside in the summer in Vancouver, there’s a small child inside me with her face pressed up against the window looking longingly outward.

But no matter what…when fall rolls around it’s SO EXCITING.  Crisp mornings and layered clothing…getting up well before the sun…the promise of routine and settling in. So as I ground down and put away my flip flops, I’m taking stock of my summer and rounding up the words…

Of course I love to explore the human experience in all it’s pain and beauty…I tried to spend as much time with loved ones as possible and have no qualms about stating that I’m really glad they like me because I totally care what they think of me. I got to really explore what I suck at which is damned important because then you can start to track the nasty habits of the mind and the way they try to take you out.

By now you likely know the the other two sites I contribute to. At Beams and Struts, we explored the topic of our relationship to time in…If you don’t have time to read this, you probably should. Then I laid the smack down with some wisdom for young ladies over at Integral Chicks…Beware of Dirtbags and Other Unsolicited Advice for Women.

And now it’s fall. Well, not really…technically there are two more weeks of summer, but it poured rain all night and I’m wearing a sweater. So darker days and deeper practice are ahead of us. I’m ready.