Summertime.
Scooch this way. Sit with me awhile. I have some things to say while you are still very much here.
I AM SO FOND OF YOU.
You are the season of earlier sunrises and well-into-the-evening sunsets — promising us longer days; giving us a little more time. Sweet summer TIME.
You are poolside popsicles and lemonade stands and lightning bugs and sand castles and running barefoot through backyard sprinklers.
You are watermelon slices and afternoon naps and baseball games and boat rides and picnics atop checkered blankets.
YOU ARE CAREFREE AND VIBRANT AND SWEATY AND HOT AND AWESOME.
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.”
We need easy.
Your lazy days deliver a welcomed headwind — slowing our go-go-go pace.
You invite us to swap our sense of urgency for a heightened sense of simple pleasures. The aromas of freshly mowed grass, charcoal grills, and sunscreen. The sound of an afternoon thunderstorm or a good country song. The deliciousness of ice cream and s’mores and corn on the cob. The sultry sun, nourishing us with vitamin D. The splendor of the ocean, the solace of the lake, and the sheer beauty of a bright red cardinal in bright green foliage. Uncomplicated joys — one after another.
YOU REALLY ARE SOMETHING SPECIAL.
You afford our children a two-month recess… and the freedom for boredom to fuel their imaginations.
You grace us with precious time for one of life’s grandest memory-makers — vacation. A great escape with family, with best friends, with eager anticipation, with paused responsibilities, and with only the things we need. A magical getaway that unveils the essence of our best selves.
You are the midway point in our year — our ultimate intermission.
You are our refueling station, our thirst quencher.
You are exactly what we need when we need it.
Summertime.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
“I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.” -Susan Branch