Savoring Summer as We Age
- Katharine Esty
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
Exploring Evolving Pleasures and Cherished Pastimes
We all need to savor the fleeting special moments of summer. When summer arrives, we over-70s usually feel depleted after months of appointments, meetings, and celebratory events, no matter that most of us are no longer working. We need a break and new experiences that can help us relax, replenish our energy, and uplift our spirits.
I have come only recently to understand that to “savor” means to fully appreciate and enjoy a present moment. It involves slowing down and observing the special qualities of our experience as it is happening. It implies lingering long enough to notice what we are seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting.
I first learned about savoring in a meditation class where each of us was given a single raisin. We were instructed to hold the raisin in our hand, to observe the feel of it, and then to put it in our mouth. Then to slowly taste the raisin, to chew it, and, finally, to swallow it, savoring the flavor as it changed over those several minutes. It was an amazing five minutes for me, an unforgettable moment.
As I have aged, I have found that what brings me pleasure has changed significantly over the years. Here are six of my favorite summer pastimes now that I’m 91.
Water’s Edge
People of all ages around the world love spending time in and around water. We flock to beaches and lakes during the warmer months. We have gone to baths and spas since Roman times, and it seems that water is universally experienced as healing as well as pleasurable. Children swim and play in the water for hours. Some adults frolic like the kids, but for many, a quick dip satisfies.
I used to love the feeling of cold, fresh water that jolted my body into awareness. Swimming left me feeling cleansed and, psychologically, refreshed, and gave me a new boost of energy. Now, just being at the water’s edge is enough for me — the soothing sound of the lapping waves, the refreshing coolness of the water on my feet, and the gentle breeze blowing softly on my face.
Sauntering
Although I have enjoyed hiking since I was a kid, I have never attempted serious treks or climbed higher peaks. But I have always walked along at a fairly quick pace. I felt I was doing something healthy, and that was part of my pleasure. Henry David Thoreau wrote extensively about the joys of walking more slowly; he called it “sauntering”. He also recommended “ambling,” which suggests an even slower pace and a more relaxed approach to reaching a destination. Now, I still walk briskly at times, but I often find myself sauntering and ambling as well. Some of these walks feel truly magical.
Recently, there has been a lot of attention on what the Japanese call “forest bathing,” a mindful practice that involves immersing oneself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the trees. Research has shown that spending time in nature strengthens the immune system, improves cardiovascular and metabolic health, and can alleviate stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. It boosts overall well-being and promotes better sleep. Wow!
Online Games
With my lighter schedule during the summer, I’ve been spending more time playing online games like Wordle and Connections. My favorite, Upwords, is similar to Scrabble but adds a third dimension to the game. These games are a refuge of tranquility for me — time away from more serious tasks and the complexities of the larger world. Online games also provide me with a small world with clear rules and the certainty that the rules will prevail. A real joy in these times of scary uncertainty.
Reading
One of the gifts of both summer and old age is more time. When I was younger, that is, until just recently, I believed daytime was for work and being productive. I acted as if there was a rule somewhere in the book of life that pleasures like reading were reserved for when all my work was finished or after dinner. The voice behind my rule has softened over the years and is easier to ignore. How delicious to curl up with a book and read away an afternoon.
Getaways
Traveling somewhere, anywhere, is a sure way to shift our perspectives. We don’t have to go abroad or to a fancy resort to get an energy boost from an outing to a nearby site. Last summer, a friend and I got tickets for the Boston Public Radio Talk Show with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan at the public library. We took the subway into the city, the first time for me in decades. The show was lively, filled with interesting and provocative comments. I discovered real pleasure in getting off my well-trodden path, breaching my self-imposed boundaries, and reconnecting with my city.
A summer highlight for many of us over 70 is to visit family and friends who live far away. Reunions, weddings, and, yes, also funerals and memorial services bring us together with the people we love. Summer provides the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect with our loved ones.
Just sitting
Increasingly, I find my balcony is beckoning me, and I spend more time out there just sitting. I gaze at the birds and the speck of river I can see. I let my mind wander as it will. Usually, I feel peace within myself despite a world in chaos. This pleasure is new to me–most of my life, I went from one activity to the next all day long without a break.
The pleasures of older adults evolve with each decade. While these pleasures may differ from those of our youth, they can be just as intense. As Thoreau once wrote, “Live each season as it passes — breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” May all of us enjoy the special moments of summer in ways both familiar and new, and may we slow down to take time to savor them as they occur.
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