Summer is such a magical time for me. When I was young, summer meant going home to visit family on Hornby Island and playing in the fields with my cousins. When my children were young, summer meant spending time at the lake doing water sports, at family summer camp or travelling from swim meet to swim meet watching my daughter win ribbons. Now that I’m older, my summers have slowed down, and become more of a spectator’s sport.
Sitting outside listening to music is just right for me now. Sometime that’s what living on purpose is all about: enjoying the gifts we have in the moment.
It doesn’t matter where you go in Victoria, there is a group of musicians waiting to entertain the crowd. Most days you can find a concert in a park, on a city street, in a square or garden. I’m partial to the Tuesday evening concerts in the parks in our surrounding neighbourhoods. And, of course, there are concerts and festivals in just about any town you want to drive to in BC.
In Victoria, we also have concerts all summer long at the world-famous Butchart Gardens, where locals buy a season’s pass so they can tour with their out-of-town guests. When summer guests are gone, they can pop by in the fall, winter, and next spring to see the changing Gardens and get ideas to plan their own gardens.
One of the joys for me in the summer is attending a few of these, setting up my folding lawn chair and enjoying the outdoors with a group of people I don’t know. There’s a silent sense of community when you appreciate a performance together in a shared experience. The ones at Butchart Gardens are especially uplifting.
In 2019, I had a summer job. Perhaps you can relate – after retirement, your successor ends up quitting and you get the call to fill in until the new employee is available to start. I had been retired for a few years and going back, although a joy to see the people again, was stressful. But going out to Butchart and setting up my chair, watching the music as the sun set and then watching the twinkling stars in the freshness of the evening was soul satisfying.
Last year, we only attended one concert as COVID was still a concern.
This year is different. I downloaded the various timetables from the internet and the concert schedule is on my fridge. I have friends who have also circled the concerts on their calendars and it’s a date! If you are looking for me, you will find me in a park, singing along to a Beatles song, cheering on my friend, Maggie, as she dances to the beat, or sitting quietly between my husband and my friend, Sandy.
May you live on purpose this summer with music vibrating through the air and in your heart.
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Laurie Mueller, M.Ed is retired and living in Victoria with her husband, Helmuth. She recently published The Ultimate Guide on What to Do When Someone You Love Dies, available on Amazon. More about Laurie can be found at www.lauriemconsulting.com or on Facebook.