Child No 3 wrote me this note when she was about six or seven years old. I came across it the other day. I’d put it away with my special collection of notes, drawings and pictures the kids had made when they were little. It described exactly how I felt that day. Out of the mouths of babes. I could even have completed the picture and sat down on the floor like a small child. Refusing to budge like only a toddler can and saying: “I’m tired”. “Tomorrow I’ll be an adult again but just for today I’d like to be a kid. Sleep when I’m tired. Wake up when I’m rested. Eat when I’m hungry. Play some in between and not really care about much else.” This thing called adulthood is overrated some days.

It’s so apt for this time of the year because we’re all a bit tired, kids and adults alike. This is the time when we start looking forward to winding down after a long and busy year.

These upcoming holidays coincide with summer break in the southern hemisphere. It usually means that it’s been nearly twelve months since the last proper break for most. We start to feel a little tired and run down. The ups we celebrated and the downs we faced over the year start to take their toll. Sometimes it’s purely the fact that a year is a long time. Although some days when I look back it feels like the year went by in the blink of an eye. Try as I might I just can’t seem to slow down the pace a little. There are always lots of things to be done, places to go, appointments to attend and commitments to fulfil.

For some reason, ironically, this also happens to be the time of year when the pace seems to pick up just a little more than usual. Our diaries fill up with end-of-year parties and other commitments. Christmas decorations and advertising fill the shops. We are pressed to buy and do it today! We zoom around trying to do everything we set out to do. Shops become busier, traffic more hectic, people more rushed and tolerance levels go down as we all become even more tired and ready for that long-awaited holiday. I, for one, walk around with lists of things to do in my head. Lists over and above the written down ones. It’s mostly tasks I’ve set for myself. I still don’t know why I do it to myself though. No wonder I have days where I feel like sitting down on the floor and saying: “I’m tired”.

The good thing though is that it’s almost holiday time and we’ll have a good break. A break from work and school and our daily routine. We’ll make time for sunset picnics at the beach. Have cheese and crackers for dinner some nights. Two fruits and five veg per day – tomorrow. We’ll go and see an outdoor movie and go out after dinner simply for an ice cream. Spend lots of time in the pool. Go to the beach as much as possible. Laze in the sun and enjoy balmy summer’s evenings outside. Immerse ourselves in the freedom of summer holidays. Slow down, catch our breath, recuperate and soon we won’t be tired any more.