Ode to Summer

My happy place

Summer solstice: one of the happiest days of my year!

The older I get, the more intensely I dread winter and love summer. Summer means happiness to me: sunshine, cold drinks and an abundance of fresh produce, picnics, fireflies, sitting by the pool. Lots of time to read, lots of time with friends. Cooking is easy. Looking cute is easy (and comfortable!). The only holidays are fun, carefree ones involving a grill and no stressful gift-giving. I'm naturally more active, so I have more endorphins and can be more relaxed about eating. A great new movie comes out every week. Everyone is less frazzled (especially my teacher friends). Even though I'm a grownup who has to work, I still feel like a kid in summertime. I ride my bike around the neighborhood and stay up too late eating popsicles. I feel full of possibility. Work is less demanding, and we have casual attire every day. When I leave work, several hours of sunshine are still ahead of me. I wander around my yard in the evenings admiring my plants. Everything is alive, alive, alive.

Here in Memphis, we're having one of the most comfortable summers in recent memory (so far). At this time last year, the actual temperatures were in the 100s, but we're not even breaking 90 until afternoon most days. I mean, it's hot, but a bearable hot – not like you're living in an oven. I really hope the pleasantness holds out for the Fourth of July.

I wish it could be summer all year long. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'll eventually have to move back to Florida, or some other land of eternal summer, for my health. In the meantime I'm soaking this up!

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