09/02/2024
So here we are at the end of August. I've heard several people say this week that they can't believe the summer is over already. It's gone so fast.
Officially speaking, the summer isn't over yet. We've still got another three weeks before fall is ushered in. But, the trees are already beginning to turn colour, and this is the last long weekend before kids go back to school. So yes, unofficially, it is the end of summer.
One of the curious things about the "summer going so fast" is that it is a unique narrative to this time of year. We don't usually hear the same thing about winter for example. People don't say, "Darn, I can't believe winter is almost over already. It's going too fast." If anything, we hear the opposite. "It's been a long winter...I can't wait for it to end."
While a lot of this has to do with the change in weather, it also involves the transition from long days with an abundance of natural light to days upon days strung together with very little sunshine. This lack of sunshine in the winter months can be emotionally challenging for many of us.
In other parts of the world the difference between summer and winter is not nearly as pronounced as it is here in Canada. There are seasonal variations everywhere of course, but the changes in temperate climates are less extreme than those we experience in northern climates. The lack of sunshine in winter months can take it's toll on our emotional well-being. So yes, we look forward to the long lazy days of summer, and lament its passing.
This is also one of the reasons why the place we call "home" is so important. Our homes are not just four insulated walls and a roof to keep cold and rainy weather at bay. They're not just a place to go to bed at night. Rather, our homes are, or ought to be, a haven of sorts, an oasis of comfort, a place where we can recharge our emotional and physical batteries and enjoy the light and beauty of summer, even when it is winter outside.
Now of course, what I am speaking about here is the ideal. This is how it should be. This is in some sense how it was intended to be each and every time a home was first built.
Unfortunately, not every home meets this ideal. Even if they started out this way, some homes have degraded over time and have lost their emotional lustre. And, of course, not every home was well planned at the design stage. Some homes have been flawed from the outset.
But even so, even if your home was designed and constructed in a way that was less than ideal, there are things that can be done to improve it's function as a place of entertainment, restoration, relaxation and emotional respite.
If you're wondering about how to do that, just know that we've got an abundance of talent in our region when it comes to building science, architecture and interior design. This talent gets manifested in large and small homes, in backyard gardens and gazebos, in parks, public spaces, cityscapes and in neighbourhoods across the country. It also gets manifested in secondary ways, ways that don't necessarily cost a lot of money. There are many people in various sectors related to housing (some real estate agents included) with an amazing eye for design, despite not having formal training. And many of these people are willing to help if only because there is an experience of joy in simply giving expression to their creativity.
If you'd like to learn more about this give me a call, or reach out to me by email or text message. In any case, whether you reach out or not, I hope you enjoy this long weekend, and continue to experience the remaining joy of summer in the next three weeks, and perhaps even into the fall, and through all the seasons.
John Zwart
Partner - WhiteRock Tiny Home Solutions Inc.
Broker of Record - Home and Property Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage
Phone: (519) 496-5607
