AMSG Writer/Editor Jeffrey Dewhurst waxes lyrical about the meaning of Summer. Or he could be delirious from the heat.
It is Summer; astronomically, culturally, and spiritually.
Growing up, Summer was a long vacation, when school ended and every possibility widened before us. We don’t ever really forget that. Our jobs don’t stop from June to September, but it will always seem like they should. For those who start a family, vacations follow the school calendar, so moms and dads still leave work behind when the days get long and the nights get short, but not for months, only for days.
Summer is also about being outside, when the cold of Winter is gone and the trees and flowers return to life. After being cooped up inside for 6 months, the joy of just being outside is intoxicating. At least for a minute or two, because there is a dark side to Summer as well.
Summer is hot, too hot, especially for those who reside in the South, the Mid-Atlantic, the Great Plains, and the small region of Earth located below the arctic circle and above Australia. Those of us in the DC area are keenly aware that heat often travels with its evil sibling, humidity. Winter brings dreams of Summer, but Summer brings dreams of Autumn. All too often the yearning for Summer that strikes in icy January, is really imagining the weather of October, something easily forgotten until you find yourself huddled inside, taking shelter with as much air conditioning as you can muster. Summer is the beach, green grass, and a cool drink on a sweltering day. It’s also heat stroke, sunburn and rip tides.
Summer is a siren, calling to us all year long, giving us hope for fun and adventures, only to trap us inside when the temperature is too high, and the humidity “Feels Like” a wet sauna that has the setting locked on high and the door blocked with a pile of damp towels.
But we love it anyway.
We crawl to the beach in traffic jams caused by the calendar more than the weather; Friday night – flowing out, Sunday – flowing back in, rain or shine. Being outside is such a gift that we sweat, and bake, and collapse in exhaustion, only to book the same spot again next year before falling asleep on the couch.
Summer is the promise that it’s all worth it, and we can maybe wake up to the sound of waves against the shore. That funnel cake is a breakfast food and dessert is ok, as long as it comes before dinner. It’s spending $15 for french fries and $12.50 for an ice cream that melts down the back of your hand before you’ve even swiped your card. It’s being so hot and tired that you sleep all the way until the sunrise, and can have that first cup of coffee on the deck, even if it’s the one in your own back yard.
Summer is an idea that is so magical that it can get you through the whole year, as long as you forget the part about mowing the grass when it’s 97 degrees.
So hydrate, wear sunscreen, and a hat. Hide inside at noon and burst through the door when the shadows get long. Never forget that hot summer days bring warm summer nights, and that the stars are just as lovely as the sun on the water.
Summer is here AMSG, go out there and feel it, because it will be gone soon, and we’ll miss it, when February returns and humidity is something we can’t remember.
Written by: Jeffrey Dewhurst