Last weekend Virginia celebrated a three-day tax holiday on school supplies.

So the crowds were out, I noticed, ready to scoop up blank notebooks and packs of pens, and in this shaky economy, who can blame them? The quest for a few dollars saved is almost crucial for many people at this point.

The teeming masses were unavoidable Sunday, as I ventured to various outposts of commerce in search of iced tea and a stack of fresh summer reading.

And that’s the thing… almost as soon as the cicadas start singing, so does the blast of Back-to-School ads.

But is summer over already? Are we in such a rush to move on to the next, that we avoid the now?

“Summertime, and the living’s easy.”

That’s how they sing it, that’s how I want to dance it.

And here I am sitting on my porch, taking a break from the keyboard to gaze up at the clouds, to listen to the breeze rustle the branches overhead, to inhale the sweetness of blooming gardenias.

That freedom from care is intoxicating.

A few weekends ago I headed to my dad’s for a few days of ease. Work? What work? The only work I was up to was moving my hammock to the breeziest spot by the river.

It’s summer, kids. Breathe in the bliss!

Sometimes, maybe, instead of rushing through the seasons, instead of buying our school supplies the first weekend of August and our holiday gifts the last weekend of October, we need to slow down and relish the day we’re experiencing.

So while I was at my dad’s, he and I hauled his kayaks out of his old Ford pickup and launched them into the river.

We floated around, relishing the searing heat and camaraderie, as we planned that night’s barbeque.

Then we loaded up our gear and drove to the grocery store. And I had forgotten how the seat of a truck shakes and squeaks as you pick up speed, how you can hang your head out the window and see the bottom of your grin beam at you in the sideview mirror, as houses and diners speed past.

My brother promised me a ride on the back of his antique BMW motorcycle after dinner, and as dusk fell we flew through the humidity straight into the sunset.

Nothing, not even a season, can stay on a pedestal forever. Soon it will be time to breathe in the smoky haze of autumn, we’ll all be ready to pack up bookbags and lunchboxes and renew our routines.

But that day, is perhaps not today. We still have several weeks to go before school starts, before the manic rush of a new academic schedule begins.

Why not remain in summer, why not savor the slower pace, for just a while longer?

And if you did go out and seize your supplies last weekend… well, you have definitely earned a few more days in the sun!