I am writing this during the second week in September, and, in my mind, summer is over. I am well aware that it is going to be 100 degrees today and that the markets are still full of fresh tomatoes and melons.

But, for me, somehow when Labor Day has come and gone, kids have gone back to school and the white shoes have been put away (how many of us Californians remember that?) ... when these things have happened, then summer is over.

Clearly, I think that summertime is not a calendar event. I think, rather, it is a state of mind. That state of mind includes words like "lazy hazy days of summer," scenes of picnics, beaches, cabins in the woods, and new adventures every day that occur just because you are open to them.

When I begin to think that summer is over, I begin to think of adages such as "picking up the traces and starting to pull again" and of new goals, new programs, new efforts. I am not saying those are bad things. They are not. However, if summer is truly a state of mind, it may behoove us to keep some of it with us throughout the year.

So, what would that look like?

First of all, I think it would mean that not all our time was planned. We are so busy today -- between work demands, the demands of children, spouses, significant others and friends -- that it is difficult to contemplate lying back in the grass and just watching the clouds roll by.

Secondly, I would also maintain time for adventures. How many of you, in addition to all the demands mentioned above, fill your weekends with errands and things to do. A friend and I love to take day-long adventures. We'll head for a destination, usually within an hour of the Davis/Sacramento area, which leaves lots of territory and the option just to land somewhere and begin to explore. Again, given our area, this could mean a hike in the woods, a day wandering through antique shops or time in the Gold Country without any defined purpose or needed outcome.

Third, I would also plan to keep the things I have to do simple. In the summer, I tend not to worry that each meal has a starch, a vegetable and a protein. I'm much more likely to throw together a salad and sit on the deck and eat it, possibly off of a paper plate. There is no reason why we cannot afford ourselves the freedom of these options during the other seasons of the year.

If I sum it up, summer for me means unplanned, impulsive, simple and fun pursuits. That means: Take the time, anytime of the year, to look up, at least symbolically, at those clouds for a while. I am not suggesting we should do this instead of having goals, efforts and plans. In fact, research suggests that the more able we are to do these kinds of things -- to take the breaks, get the rest, reduce fatigue and break out of our routines -- the more energy we will have for fulfilling our outcome-oriented goals.

If you want to talk about it, give us a call at (530) 752-2727, come on in to ASAP or please visit our web site at http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/ASAP or email me at shharvey@ucdavis.edu.

Sally Harvey is director of the Academic and Staff Assistance Program. Her columns appear quarterly.