I saw a tweet the other day that ranked all the months in order from best month to worst month and this person proudly placed August at the bottom. There were hundreds of replies agreeing that August was the worst month of the year. Some of the reasons cited included it being the month that school starts back for most people and it not feeling like summer but also not feeling like fall.
I had no idea that August got such a bad rap, but I polled my coworkers and confirmed what the Twitterverse was saying. When asked to rank the months from best to worst August was consistently in the bottom half of the rankings with it being placed dead last on 3 people’s lists. I was one of the few who placed August higher on the list, and here’s why!
August is a New Start
I love August for many of the same reasons that I love January. August just feels like a new start! Remember when you were a kid, how the beginning of August brought so many new things to your life? New clothes, new school supplies, new teachers, new books, a new grade…it was all so fun and exciting! In all fairness, I was one of those kids who loved school, but I don’t think it was getting back into school that made it feel a little magical. What I loved about August was that it was full of potential and possibilities. Even as an adult, August still holds that feeling of newness to me.
The Beginning of the Best Season
Despite the fact that Fall doesn’t actually start until September, August feels like the beginning of fall in my heart. Temperatures slowly start to cool down and you can see the light at the end of the unbearably hot tunnel that is summer in Alabama. I’ve never really been a big “summer” fan, but as an adult, I crave the calmness and coziness of fall even more.
Summer is always busy regardless of if you’re a kid or an adult, but I’ve found that summer is even more stressful now that I’m grown. The reason being that instead of my whole summer being solely focused on doing fun things and spending time with friends, I’m trying to do all those same things AND work my normal 8 to 5 job. Summer just feels nonstop and August is the end of all that.
There’s Still Time
Last but certainly not least, August is a reminder that no matter what the first 7 months of the year were like, there’s still time for it to all be different. Some might argue that July is the month where this concept applies the most since it’s the beginning of the second half of the year. I’d have to disagree because, in the grand scheme of yearly rhythms, July is just more of the same as June and the end of May. August on the other hand is a break that refocuses you on the rest of the year.
August is a bit of a reset where you can evaluate the first half of the year and see what you want to do more of and what you want to change. It’s a beautiful time to appreciate the past and what it’s taught you while also looking forward to a bright future ahead. There’s nothing quite like a mid-ish year check-in and personal adjustment.
So, what do you think? Have I convinced you at all? August doesn’t have to be your favorite month, but maybe it at least won’t be your least favorite. I hope you welcome August with open arms and an open mind! What do you think the best and worst months are? Come talk to us on our social media and let us know!
This article was originally published on the Dogwood Journal.