It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over. As we head into the shoulder season, the ocean is still warm, the crowds are beginning to thin, and you can probably get a reservation at your favorite restaurant more easily.

Labor Day is coming. The boardwalk crowds will thin, the beach houses will empty out, and here’s what I want you to feel when that happens: not dread, not the slow sigh of “back to reality,” but energy.

As the daylight hours dwindle and the crowds on the beach pack up to leave, we find ourselves reminiscing on yet another happy summer. If only we could bottle up that joy and carry it with us into the fall and winter months ahead.