I’m at that point in summer where I need to set explicit goals for myself. Otherwise nothing is getting done.

Due to the nature of my family’s schedules, I’m in a reactive sort of mode. Neither of my teen boys drive yet, so I’m the chauffeur. Thankfully, most of the places they go are near our home. Piers has football workouts Monday through Thursday. He also has a part-time job at a nearby grocery store, but damn the schedule is erratic and ever-changing. Whatever. I can deal. My only complaint is that it would be lovely if he’d pick up more hours. For some ungodly reason, he asked off for three days in a row. No son, you need to go to work. It keeps you out of trouble and off your devices. Go. To. Work.

Wallace’s summer did not start off in the best way. He wrecked a vehicle. I’ll leave it at that. Thankfully, all parties were unharmed, but it’s not the way any of us wanted to begin our respite. Anyway…

Initially Wallace didn’t have big summer plans. He was working at the Snack Shack at our neighborhood pool, but every time he was scheduled to work, it rained. Frustration set in, and that meant a rotten mood permeated every corner of our home. By week two I was over it. I’ve grown accustomed to Wallace being my more content child. He’s typically quite jovial and makes a concerted effort to put positive energy into whatever space he occupies. Well this was not the case as we embarked on summer break.

I began asking around about places that hired teens under sixteen. He finally secured a job bussing tables and washing dishes at a nearby pizza joint. Thank all the stars! So now we’ve settled in to a bit of a routine. Employment seems to have given Wallace a sense of purpose. Between sleeping (he’s pretty tired as he acclimates to the working world), going to work, and playing music, his summer has improved. Still, I just think fifteen is a challenging age. It’s like they really want to spread their wings, but they’re still somewhat childlike and don’t always make the best decisions. Maybe that’s just my children, but I remember last summer with Piers as a fifteen-year-old being challenging as well. Let’s be real. Last summer was hellacious for many reasons, the big one being that I COULD NOT SLEEP.

Other than what I’ve already mentioned, that’s pretty much our summer. I drive teens to various places, re-stock the pantry and fridge constantly, and ride the waves of their mood swings. Their friends come and go and seem to enjoy hanging out at our house. Teen boys are an easy species as long as you don’t ask too much of them.

I’m reading a lot, trying to keep a decent sleep schedule, and last week I played some tennis. I had my ACL and meniscus repaired back in January, so that has kept me off my feet, but I’m easing back in to playing. It’s not pretty, but I’ve been a tennis player for most of my almost 49 years. (YIKES!) It’s going to take more than major knee surgery to keep me off the courts for good. A friend of mine talked me in to playing a leisurely league match last Thursday. Thanks to my beast of a partner, we won. I felt out of shape and my heat tolerance wasn’t great, but I managed and was happy to get a win.

I’m doing things, and I’m busy, but I don’t feel productive. That bothers me. Not enough to get up and actually BE productive, but I’m typically a person who likes to feel a sense of accomplishment. Maybe this simply isn’t the season for that, and I need to work on accepting that this is my current reality. My work life is minimal. I don’t have a regular job. I have a freelance gig that has been going on for nearly ten years at this point. It takes me all of maybe two hours a month, and frankly, bores the ever loving starch out of me. Every month I put it off and procrastinate beyond verbs and finally buckle down and get it done. Once completed, I swear on my life that I’m going to end the gig for good, and then the next month it’s the same thing all over again. I need to rip the Bandaid off.

I also regularly browse job boards, but either I’m not desperate enough yet to actually apply, or I’m hoping the perfect job will miraculously appear. Better yet, it would be lovely if a hiring manager would appear in my inbox and beg me to join their place of employment. I have no idea why I can’t find a job. Ha!

I am still managing our rental house, and I have slowly recognized that property management is not my forte, but alas, someone has to handle it, so on I trudge.

What else? We went to see Grease at The Savannah Theatre. I enjoyed it, but as I revisited one of my favorites from the past, I realized how much in our world has actually changed as well as how much has not. I watched the movie Grease regularly as a young teen and the blatant misogyny and homophobia didn’t register, but watching it this time live and with my teen boys, I was kind of appalled at lines that no one blinked at when I was a kid. Ugh.

Before seeing the musical, I could have sworn that my kids had seen the movie, but they assured me they had not. The Savannah Theatre is this old historic building (it opened in 1818!) and at times the sound was a little wonky. During the famous American Bandstand dance off scene at Rydell High, I noticed Piers and Wallace working hard to stifle their laughter. It got so bad I had to elbow Piers who was sitting to my right. “Stop!” I mouthed emphatically, and gave them both the look. Piers would not stop. Both of my kids are ridiculously expressive, and this was not helping the situation. Gil was at the end of our row, and he was oblivious.

Piers leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Whyyyy are they doing a dance called the HAND JOB?!!”

Oh dear GOD in Heaven! Well, then I started laughing, because who in their right mind would think this archaic dance was called the HAND JOB?! But as soon as he said it and I focused on the words coming through the old-ass speakers, I was like, that is EXACTLY what it sounds like, and not to mention the ridiculous hand motions that go along with the song…

Anyway, I quickly whispered back “JIVE, Piers, not JOB, good grief.”

Teens are a hoot. I suppose I should be glad they humored me enough to go see the show. Sometimes you introduce your kids to things you loved as a kid and they work out… most of the time, you’re sorely disappointed, but in my experience the effort is usually worth it.

How’s your summer going?