Adjusting

Despite of the strong south wind, the moon emerging from the mountains of Naxos makes the evening walkers at Pisso Livadi stop at the drafty yard of Saint Nicholas church to stare at it; they stand still like animals in headlights, pleasantly surprised by the aromas of the old salted cedar trees and the freshness of the sea. The evening walkers look both greedy and contented; the island is theirs again. I know how they feel; August took us by surprise, bold, busy, crowded. The juggling between hard work and the need to let go and just sleep at the beach was never more challenging. I remember –many Augusts ago- lazy summer afternoons spent at the beach with my friends, reading fun and silly magazine quizzes to decode our vacation profile; we grew up hungry for the summer, waiting for it to revive the tastes and flavors of our most carefree years, but the truth is that as we get older, summer seems to be getting shorter and shorter. They sunny days are shrinking as we press ourselves to work, to rest, to have a good time and to avoid long supermarket lines. August expectations are high, similar to Christmas expectations, -but unlike Christmas-, summer is outgoing and vast; constantly creating time and space for people to meet in common ground. There is enough closeness and sharing in August to make it up for the noisy crowds. Now that the island’s face is changing back to a quieter mode, I know it won’t be long before we start missing the joyful buzz.

photos by christos drazos

words by maria alipranti