There is a time for a hazmat bourbon.

A hot summer afternoon on the back porch usually is not it.

Inside with the air conditioning running, anything goes. Barrel proof, hazmat, something dark and heavy enough to make you stop and pay attention—it can all work. But when the heat becomes part of the experience, high proof can feel like too much. Instead of adding refreshment, it adds another layer of heat.

Summer changes what we reach for.

We begin looking for something lighter. Maybe it is a lower-proof bourbon, a large cube, a splash of water or even a cocktail. The goal is not to prove how much proof we can handle. The goal is to enjoy the pour.

That is part of the rhythm of the season.

Long days invite slower sips. The light lingers. The evening stretches. There is no need to rush the glass, and there is no prize for choosing the most intense bottle on the shelf.

Sometimes the best pour is the one that fits the moment.

Life works that way, too.

We often treat every season as though it requires the same level of intensity. We push at full strength whether the moment calls for it or not. We fill our days, keep moving and convince ourselves that slowing down means we are becoming lazy.

But rest is not laziness. It is rhythm.

God built rhythm into creation from the beginning. There was work, and there was rest. There was daylight, and there was darkness. There were seasons for planting and seasons for harvest.

Rest was not an afterthought. It was part of the design.

In Exodus 23:12, God tells His people to work for six days and rest on the seventh so that others “may be refreshed.”

That word matters.

Rest is not merely stopping. It is being refreshed. It is allowing what has been depleted to be restored.

The problem is that many of us do not rest until we collapse. We keep going until our bodies, minds or emotions force us to stop. Then we call the shutdown rest, even though it feels nothing like refreshment.

True rest is more intentional than that.

It recognizes that we were never designed to operate at maximum intensity all the time. There are moments to work hard, carry the load and bring everything we have. There are also moments to lower the proof, slow the pace and receive the evening as a gift.

A good summer pour does not have to overpower you to satisfy you.

Neither does every season of life have to exhaust you to matter.

Sometimes wisdom means recognizing that the heat is already enough. You do not need to add more.

So pour something that fits the evening. Let the ice melt. Let the light linger. Sit long enough to notice the breeze, the sound of the trees or the quiet that comes when the day finally begins to loosen its grip.

The work will still be there tomorrow.

For tonight, let yourself be refreshed.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.