August....

and everything it holds......

Lazy summer afternoons,

Walks along the beach,

Balmy evenings, cloudless skies,

Stars just out of reach.

Sailing on a quiet lake,

Hammocks in the shade…….

These are the simple treasures,

Of which August days are made……..

I’m taking the words of an unknown writer when sharing the above piece as I just think they cover a multitude of what the month of August represents for lots of us…such lovely images and such serenity in the joy that is August. Blissful summer vibes and a month we have all been waiting for since…well….August was here last to visit…See August is that month that we all crave... It’s like the friend everyone loves. You know that solid person no matter when they arrive to the table or the party, they bring good vibes. I know you’re instantly thinking of someone when I said that, and yep that’s August in a person. Cool, groovy, fun, full of energy, smiles galore, sunshine and even wonderful dreams come to mind when this person is around…..August brings a special type of hope with it & allows us to believe that when August is near, our dreams seem more reachable, more possible.…August is a bit like the auntie who you loved visiting when you were a child. You know the one who gave you sweets even though you weren’t meant to have them and then gave you a fiver in your hand as you were leaving along with the statement ‘Don’t tell mam’. August is tres cool.

If August was a fictional character, August would be somewhere between Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee, and let’s throw in James Bond and Winnie the Pooh for good measure & there lies the perfect balance of personality types when it comes to a month….Yep a super cool combination of personalities and the win for the summer vibes make up what the month of August means to a lot of us….

The above hammock imagery in the starting passage got me thinking too ….Well I started thinking about me in a hammock first and foremost and not falling out - laughing to myself as I write this statement … as that seems like the impossible (pigs flying overhead as I lie like the cool bird I am lying in my groovy hammock) but in August anything is possible right? Ok…well in Ireland let’s be honest we aren’t lying in our hammocks because we don’t have any… and even if we did, we wouldn’t get to lie in them for too long as it surely would be piddling rain in 3.4 seconds (Piddling - just in case you never heard of that word before - It’s an Irish technical term we use in relation to rain & I’ll stop there - we have endless amount of descriptive words to do with rain in Ireland - we’re a tad obsessed with the weather here - I’ll come back to that another week) but even with the rain, there is no doubt about it, the Irish people and everyone around the world dream of a sun filled August of freedom and fun. In ways it signals for society an arrival at the summer gates with smiles upon our faces and bags ready to fill with memories.

Sure you can’t but look forward to August arriving and here it is. Our very good friend has arrived with us and how glad I am to see you August and so far you’ve brought sunshine in your backpack which I know everyone is thrilled about...I think it’s fair to say that we all like August. Yes at the end of the month, it signals the return of schools but in an overall picture, most parents are ready for that return to happen when it arrives, as no matter whether you are a child or an adult, routine is good for us all. But before that moment lands, we will enjoy everything that August has to offer us.

See even if it’s raining there is something about August that makes the rain disappear in our minds and in our hearts…And again it’s a bit like that good friend, that lovely aunt, that loveable tv character…even if heavy and dark times move around us, we still just love to see the good ones arrive. They lift us. They lighten us. They give us a reason to look forward and look up. I think for me August represents the good people in our lives & maybe even allows us to lock in the good in our world. The flowers are blooming. The sound of children laughing can be heard. The sand between our toes can be felt. The clear air of the summer skies travel smoothly to our lungs. The smile that instantly appears on my face as I think of all the lovely people I have in my life is heartwarming to the point that I think to myself, how lucky I am. See August is kind of like the Christmas day of Summer. It’s the most glorious Sunday of the year if Sunday was a month and not a day. It’s laid back and lovely.

It’s the month that was named after Augustus Caesar, the first Emperor of Rome & one of the greatest leaders in human history might I add so this is no ordinary month. During Caesar’s reign, he not only restored and brought about peace and prosperity to the Roman state but he also changed nearly every aspect of Roman life. Also noting that his name & the name of our favourite month August, when defined ‘describes something or someone who is honourable, noble or esteemed.’ I love those traits. Those traits make up a very special and lovely human. ‘Honourable’ is defined as deserving respect or held in high regard, ‘noble’ is defined as having or showing fine personal qualities and ‘esteemed’ is defined as being held in great respect and being admired. Yep these words definitely sound like the make up of a truly virtuous soul. That’s you. That’s you trying everyday you wake up to be a good person. That’s you everyday waking up and trying to be a better person. August too is trying to inspire us to continue trying…I really like August…did you notice that yet?

Let’s just take one more step around this month and have another look at it from a different point of view- you know how I love looking at things from as many views as I can …..Let’s talk spiritual energy & what August is trying to tell us in that department…The spiritual energy of August is known to indicate new beginnings on mental and spiritual levels along with the month being a focused 31 days where we should try tie up loose ends whether project driven, broken relationships, self check in’s on any level and it has been identified also that this month offers us a new us a new opportunity to start again which really intrigues me.

This is definitely a focus I am going to try and work on as we begin this beautiful month. I never knew this about August so between today and tomorrow I’m going to make my plans around tieing up those loose ends and become more focused on new opportunities & get excited about the last five months of 2022...It’s kind of cool isn’t it when you think about the months ahead like that? I guess the closing of the summer fun lies in the end of this month and somewhere within that kickstarts a new part of the year where we head towards winter and darker evenings. So we are all at the very beginning of a very new chapter together today…a new month ahead of us, so much potential, so many opportunities and a real chance to dream and possibly make some of those dreams come through as the days pass.

Where all my dreams are written down & every time I lay my hand on these notebooks, I feel a step closer to them coming through!

For the Leo’s and Scorpio’s of the substackian family, it is indeed also your birthday this month. So another angle to tie up the end of your year in ways and the official beginning of a new one for you. Between the lions (or the lines) and the scorpions, I want to take this moment to wish you a very happy birthday as your birthday month begins…as the Facebook family know well, I am potentially the worse singer on the whole planet but for you I will do anything…so here goes my pride & any esteemed nobility you think I might have had, and I’m so willing to give it up for you…..

Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday their substackian friend born in the month of August, Happy birthday to you!

A few other little bits I found out about August before I finish up for this letter. As we all know the number we would associate with August is number 8 and it’s the eight month in our calendar year but did you know that number is very special in numerology….If you were to turn the number 8 on its side, it becomes a number of infinity…And infinity does indeed mean ‘never ending’ and its association is that one’s soul lives forever which I absolutely love and believe. I’ve huge trust in the idea of heaven and the next life and I love that this special connection is with August, as my poor dad was released from his horrendous suffering of stage 4 lung cancer on the 17th of the month & I’ll be forever grateful to know he went somewhere magical from letting go of this earth and his pain. No good person should leave this world in such a state of suffering and darkness but as we all know, a lot of this life we have no control & sometimes things just aren’t fair. I’m grateful to know this month is a magic month when it comes to never ending souls & that they live forever in the sky among the sun, the moon and the stars and not to forget, everyday we get healthy and well is indeed a blessing, a reminder to us all.

Righteo, well I think I’ve covered a lot of the angles of this beautiful month of August as we begin it together and I hope I’ve made your heart lift as we look forward. I hope for you it is a magical month of good times, sunshine on your face and don’t forget always say yes to ice cream and making memories and take this month for you. If it means resting more, saying no to things you don’t want to do and yes to those you do want to do (tongue twister moment there), tie up those loose ends and get excited about your future! This is your month and it begins here. Elton John’s voice is presently singing ‘'Your Song’ on Spotify as I type this….I think that is a sign. This is your life. This is your song. This is your story! Go write it! Go live it! Go love it! And don’t leave a stone unturned!

Until Friday folks when I write to you again,

Mind yourselves and mind each other and happy August

Your friend always,

Lou x

PS. Thanks so much for reading all the way down here! It means so much to me & I’ll always be grateful to have you in my life….and how wonderful life is when you’re in the world!