In summer time, it's a natural part of our cycle to be outgoing and extroverted. We get together more often with friends and family - sometimes even spontaneously. We have no trouble finding each other in summer, because when it's nice outside, we're outside aren't we?
I like to make work projects for myself, but it seems there is always something happening - especially this weekend! I often make plans to work in my yard and then all of a sudden it's two weeks later and, because life took over, I have not yet gotten around to it.
It would probably be easier to organize a work bee.
Sometimes it seems like even just getting together with our favourite people interrupts our busy lives. In winter, each of us recluses and compartmentalizes our social time. We take advantage of the natural segregation between our lives and the lives of others. Winter is our internal time, not just physically but also psycho-spiritually.
Nature arranges things in the most appropriate timing. If we take our cues from nature, we know that when we can't eat as fresh, we shouldn't eat as much, talk as much, nor do as much.
In summer, therefore, we take advantage of our natural ability to tolerate each other - and not only that, to embrace the aspects of each other to which we would normally not be privy.
How much better can you get to know your friends than to spend an entire weekend with them?
Last weekend, our dear friends had a total of 27 people staying at their property in Bengough, camping for the weekend of the Gateway Festival.
Anyone seasoned camper knows that each camp site is like a mini temporary home - at least mine is! Our friends' yard is so big that each tent, trailer, van and motor-home had more than enough space for each family to have our own home-away-from-home.
Maybe it's because camping takes away all of the walls that normally separate people from each other in a usual home setting, but it certainly encourages sharing the work load with our neighbours.
Setting up tents, getting a fire started, counting the children, providing music, sharing food - our kind of camping sounds rather like a utopian society.
We have all heard the expression, 'many hands make light work', but we have also heard the expression, 'too many cooks in the kitchen!'
I love feeding people, so my little camping kitchen served just that gourmet purpose. Just like at home, I prefer to just do it all myself, even though my nature kitchen was actually a lot more spacious than my home kitchen!
Having been camping more times than I could ever count, I have shared camp sites (whenever possible) with friends and in so doing, I wore my 'mom' hat long before I was ever a mother. I'm a natural homemaker. Who doesn't love 'cowboy coffee'?
We each brought something to the table, literally and figuratively. One person actually did bring a table.
There are plenty of great examples of how people work together to create amazing events, products and projects. Weyburn's own Centennial Homecoming events are the result of hundreds of volunteers putting in thousands of hours - and what an exciting weekend this is!
When you're up at Heritage Village this weekend, please take note of all the amazing work that has been done by Joan Honig-Drouillard. The woman is amazing, as is evidenced by her flowers and her interesting conversation. She could definitely use more skilled hands to make her work load easier. As is the case with so many priceless volunteers, any labour of love happens whether or not there are extra hands to help. Sometimes, all any of us can do is ask, 'is there anything I can do to help?'
If you're in my clutches, however, chances are good that you'll be expected to relax, enjoy and then praise my cooking. Don't forget, though - everybody appreciates help with the dishes.
