Boy, that went fast. Was that summer that I just saw fly by? Just a minute while I wave. “Bye-bye summer.”

What happened? I don’t think I even got my grill out yet. Gonna have to break it out for Labor Day. Wait, that’s supposed to happen on Memorial Day. This actually feels more like Memorial Day than Labor Day. Heck, I still have some Christmas decorations I haven’t put away. I died inside a bit last week when I saw a magazine with Halloween suggestions. I threw it away in a state of denial. The sports page is all football. Time for fall and winter fashions. Might as well get my spring training tickets now. There’s no October baseball for my Angels.

Am I the only one who feels like someone caught the edge of summer in the vacuum and accidentally sucked up half a year? Is this escalation of time a mere factor of age, or is it something else? Does anybody have any ideas here? Honestly, this feels more like March than the beginning of September.

Suddenly I’m thinking of that verse, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) I haven’t been numbering my days. Had I been numbering them, I think I might have noticed them go by more intentionally, and not just wonder what happened to the whole summer.

I’m creating a little humor here because I think there are others out there like me, but I don’t think it’s a good thing, and I’m not proud of this. Numbering your days is all about planning, and I’m not good at planning. This is a major conflict with my wife because she is a major planner. She loves lists and timelines, and Lord knows she’s tried to get me to number my days. I could go into my office right now and pull out three or four lists and timelines she’s created over the summer that I didn’t pay any attention to.

Let’s be honest; I’m not being wise. I’m making fun of this, but I’m coming to realize that this isn’t funny at all. It’s foolish. If I’m not numbering my days — if I’m not noticing the days go by because I’m not addressing the specific things I have to do with each one of them — I’m not being wise. It’s as simple as that. Look at the verse. It’s pretty straightforward.

Marti will be happy to know I’m showing up for September ready to number my days. 1, 2, 3 … That’s when I will see you next, on Tuesday. We will already be three days into September. Wow. Number those days. They count.