July, You Were Warm and Long

Last day of July. And it’s a Friday, which feels right — the month going out the way a good summer week does, easing toward rest rather than ending with a slam.

Thirty-one days. July gave you the heat and the fireworks and the dog days and the longest, goldest evenings of the year. It gave you a holiday and a recovery day and a whole stretch of slow afternoons where the smart move was simply to coast. It gave you the chance to do the summer things, and I hope you did some of them.

Tomorrow is August. The summer isn’t over — there’s a good stretch left — but it’s tipping now, gently, toward the turn. Tonight, though, it’s still July. Let it be complete. Thank it for the warmth and the long light and whatever good it held. Then set it down and rest well.

August is on the other side of tonight. You’ll be ready. Go easy out there.

Let July be complete. Thank it for the warmth and the long light, then set it down and rest well.

What’s one word you’d give July?