Summer, I Hardly Knew Ye
It has happened again.
Granted, it's been a year of new challenges and projects for me personally, but something was very much the same. And it's not just me. I caught up with some friends last night who seemed at first shocked, then shrugged their shoulders as if to say "What did I expect?" Go ahead, ask yourself or your friends where they've been over the last three months, or ask them what they've been doing. Most will give your a blank stare, and act as if every memory chip in their being has just melted down.
Yes, Summer has come and gone so quickly once again. On the calendar, we get just about as many days of Summer as we do Fall, Winter, and Spring, and yet we always feel short-changed when summer comes to a close. No wonder "How I spent my summer vacation" was a standard essay in the classrooms of yesteryear...teachers were trying to show us something more than how to write using good grammar. The real lesson was to remember those long days in the sun, and savor them just a little bit longer.
I am a Seattle resident, and as such, have become accustomed to the fact that we really only get two seasons here: The Rainy Season, and The Not Rainy Season. Most years, the "Not Rainy" season transpires over the same months as summer, with a little bleed over into Fall. But you'd think someone like me, given the cold hard facts that the dry season isn't long, would take the time to saver Summer. You know, remember every nuance of every beautiful day?
Instead, all I can recall is a lot of yard work, followed by too many bicyclists on my favorite walking path, and then the days when I sat inside because it was "too hot."
Perhaps Summer is meant to be somewhat of a tease. Summer could be more of the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick. You know, dangling out there in front of us, helping us trudge through Fall and Winter, coaxing us into getting through the days of gray. And then, like the carrot, once we've eaten it, we're so hungry for it we devour it...and forget to savor each bite. What's worse: Once we've consumed it, we long for another. Reality sets in, and then depression, as we realize that the next carrot is approximately nine months away.
Ugh.
So Summer, let's make a deal. I promise to do a better job savoring you and remembering you next year, if you promise to gently ease me into Fall and Winter. No dramatic shifts from super nice weather to super poop weather: Be gentle, and hang on to give me a few more weeks near 70 degrees.
Please?
Granted, it's been a year of new challenges and projects for me personally, but something was very much the same. And it's not just me. I caught up with some friends last night who seemed at first shocked, then shrugged their shoulders as if to say "What did I expect?" Go ahead, ask yourself or your friends where they've been over the last three months, or ask them what they've been doing. Most will give your a blank stare, and act as if every memory chip in their being has just melted down.
Yes, Summer has come and gone so quickly once again. On the calendar, we get just about as many days of Summer as we do Fall, Winter, and Spring, and yet we always feel short-changed when summer comes to a close. No wonder "How I spent my summer vacation" was a standard essay in the classrooms of yesteryear...teachers were trying to show us something more than how to write using good grammar. The real lesson was to remember those long days in the sun, and savor them just a little bit longer.
I am a Seattle resident, and as such, have become accustomed to the fact that we really only get two seasons here: The Rainy Season, and The Not Rainy Season. Most years, the "Not Rainy" season transpires over the same months as summer, with a little bleed over into Fall. But you'd think someone like me, given the cold hard facts that the dry season isn't long, would take the time to saver Summer. You know, remember every nuance of every beautiful day?
Instead, all I can recall is a lot of yard work, followed by too many bicyclists on my favorite walking path, and then the days when I sat inside because it was "too hot."
Perhaps Summer is meant to be somewhat of a tease. Summer could be more of the proverbial carrot at the end of the stick. You know, dangling out there in front of us, helping us trudge through Fall and Winter, coaxing us into getting through the days of gray. And then, like the carrot, once we've eaten it, we're so hungry for it we devour it...and forget to savor each bite. What's worse: Once we've consumed it, we long for another. Reality sets in, and then depression, as we realize that the next carrot is approximately nine months away.
Ugh.
So Summer, let's make a deal. I promise to do a better job savoring you and remembering you next year, if you promise to gently ease me into Fall and Winter. No dramatic shifts from super nice weather to super poop weather: Be gentle, and hang on to give me a few more weeks near 70 degrees.
Please?
Hey pal -- I appreciate what you have to say about summer. We promised each other we would go out kayaking with this new schedule I'm on, and rocking by the creek...needless to say, no kayaking as yet. Not much rocking either. Things really snuck away from us. My favorite in-between season is here though -- I am planning to enjoy it. Hugs to you and everyone at your house.
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