Sarah Warsi

Hello lovelies, I hope you are all well.

Well, it’s August – that time of the year when you can slowly but surely feel the height of summer starting to wind down. It’s the ‘Sunday’ of Summer – with September being the anticipated (or dreaded, depending on how you look at it), Monday.

I can honestly say that this has been a spectacular summer when it comes to the weather. We’ve had days and days of non-stop sunshine and sweltering heat. Yes, some days, it’s just HOT, but you’ll get no complaints from me – because when we are in 3 feet of snow, these are the days that we are always yearning for. We must savour each moment.

In a world that continues to be rife with turmoil, it’s more important than ever to live in the present, be kind, practice patience, and to not sweat the small stuff – all the while keeping those less fortunate and suffering always near and dear to our hearts.

Of course, plan ahead, set your intentions and focus on manifesting them, but don’t lose the beauty of the moment in doing so. You will feel that much more fulfilled.

I was feeling nostalgic the other day thinking about how August used to symbolize the time of the year when I was getting geared up for school – so that meant the annual trip to Staples to stock up on new supplies. Those times now feel like ions ago, but in hindsight, I never realized how much I actually enjoyed that level of anticipation.

I’ll tell you one thing I did NOT enjoy was how excited my sinuses would get around this time every year. When I was in middle school, I remember having the most difficult first couple of weeks of school because my allergies would always be through the roof right around the start of September. And of course, the only medication that ever really worked was the kind that would put you to sleep so I had to basically just suffer during the days. Not fun! Luckily, I’ve not felt the wrath of ragweed just yet, but I’m sure it’s coming!

This year, of course, we’ve had 2024 Olympics in Paris to entertain us. Truthfully, I completely forgot this was an Olympic year until I heard buzz about Celine Dion performing at the opening ceremonies.

I used to be big on the Olympics back in the day – but the interest has dwindled over the years. The only sports I really care to watch are gymnastics and diving, but if I had to choose between the two, I would choose gymnastics as my absolute favourite. Simone Biles, of course, has been sensational this year with the much deserved recognition and accolades for her stellar performance all around. She captured her 10th Olympic career medal this past Saturday after winning gold during the vault finals. She also captured gold for the individual all-around finals as well as the team finals.

I honestly have such an appreciation for gymnasts overall because the level of skill, determination and focus that is required to excel at this sport. Even in my prime, the most I could ever do was a one-handed cartwheel. LOL And here you’ve got these amazing women doing back flips and aerials on balance beams, performing Yurchenko vaults, (which are super difficult!), and tumbling high in the air during the floor routines. For the men, the seeming ease at which they catapult themselves on the rings, the high bar and pommel horse as examples, just leaves me awestruck. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that these athletes can push themselves to.

Kudos to Canada as well for having just clinched our 17th overall medal. *insert applause here* It’s honestly way too hard to keep up with ALL the different activities, although this year, they’ve introduced break dancing or ‘breaking‘ as a sport, which should be interesting to watch.

Anyways, as we embrace the ‘winding down’ of summer, remember to make the best of each day. Set your intentions for the coming months and act accordingly. Consider taking some time to declutter your space to prepare for the next season.

Savour the outdoors: Take long walks. Go for a bike ride, or for a hike. Have more picnics. Whatever you prefer, soak in these last days of extended sunshine while you can. Pause while you are out to simply observe your surroundings: whether it’s kids playing in the park, people walking their dog, etc. Take the time to disconnect your mind from all the daily chaos to just be in the moment. It can be very therapeutic for your mental health and well-being.

However you spend the last days of summer, do it with purpose and with a positive mindset.

And with some Benadryl on hand, if ragweed becomes your BFF too.

Happy August!