August isn’t my favorite month. When August begins, my strength is sapped from the summer heat, and I’m always crushed to find August even hotter. That crushed feeling is magnified this year, as we’re still mired in our COVID realities. And typically, what makes August bearable are the new beginnings the end of the month brings: back-to-school, and football. And this August, both of those are in jeopardy. August is a wicked month.
But “August” isn’t just the name of a month. (It gets the name from Roman emperor Augustin, by the way.) “August” is also an adjective that means respected, dignified, distinguished, and marked by grandeur. If you were walking along with the Queen of England, you could be said to be “in august company.” I like that “august.”
After five months of uncertainty, chaos, and isolation, I think we all could use a little respect, dignity, and grandeur. So I’m not going to shut down and gripe about the heat or the specter of football looking different this year. Instead, I’m going to try and make my August august. I’m going to try and finish projects that i’ve let slip, and treat others the way I want to be treated: with respect, dignity, and distinction. Join me.
Let’s make this an august August.