So. It's August 1st. Some thoughts, and a plan.

Summer rushed in, and now it's rushing out. Didn't I just write about being awakened to kids jumping on the bed, or how an afternoon storm led to an impromptu get together on a neighbor's porch?

On Dillon's last day of first grade, the photo montage to music wrecked me--I always cry. But I was so ready for school to end. I welcomed summertime. 

And then, it rained. A lot.

And each day, I've whispered mandates to the calendar: Slow down, slow down, slow down. Now we're in back-to-school mode: haircuts and the dentist and shopping for supplies. The calendar tells me it's time for a new season, while I'm just getting settled into the old. Endings and beginnings come at me like waves... it's too much. Depressing, really. 

Then I had an idea. It started when author/blogger Susannah Conway announced that she's leading an August Break, inviting readers to post photographs on their blogs every day. She writes, "This is all about being present and enjoying taking photos just for the hell of it." The prompt includes permission to make our own rules, which I'm all about. 

I realized that I don't want the month of August to feel like a break, necessarily, but an awakening. The intention is the same--to be present and take pictures--but I want to be deliberate about my plan. Using photographs as prompts, I want to open up to the stories inside myself.

With each photo, I'll share--in a paragraph or less--the story that rises to the surface. Less words, more stories. I don't want to be a slave to the calendar. I want to live my life every day--awake and eyes open--and share what I see. What I'm learning and what I still don't know. 

So starting Monday, I'll post a photo/story each week day through the month of August. If you receive my blog via email, you will get still get emails on Mondays and Thursdays (that's a relatively new schedule that I'm working hard to be consistent about) , and so your emails will include photo stories for multiple days.

You can also visit my blog each day, and I'll also share on my Facebook page (do you like it?), Twitter, and Instagram.

I welcome you to come along on my August Awakening. Like vacation, in our minds. :) 

**To see all the posts in this series, click here.