Summer
Days
“Aaah,
summer—that long anticipated stretch of lazy, lingering days, free
of responsibility and rife with possibility. It's a time to hunt for
insects, master handstands, practice swimming strokes, conquer trees,
explore nooks and crannies, and make new friends.” Darell Hammond
When
I was in North Carolina last week, school was still in session—snow
days had kept them going well into the summer. Everyone there, most
especially the teachers, were counting down the moments until
freedom. I remember it well, both from my own childhood and as a
teacher. Those last few days are pure torture. Forget getting any
work done—the kids are like racehorses on steroids, prancing at the
gate.
Summer
used to be a splendid, unfettered stretch of time. Just as Darell
Hammond describes it, summer was filled with long, unscheduled days,
spent, in my case, outside—at the community swimming pool or in the
woods, often at the tops of trees. I rode my bicycle and played in
creek bottoms with my friends, constructing dams for a swimming hole.
We practiced songs and acrobatics for imaginary talent shows. We
played make-believe games and, in quiet moments, read books from the
library. We may have been surrounded by family drama, but
responsibility for fixing it did not lie with us; we were free.
Even
though life does not look that way any more, summer still evokes
that sense of carefree days. It's strange, isn't it? Just waking up
on a sunny morning and dressing in light clothes—no coats, no
gloves, no mufflers—creates an inner feeling of well-being, of
optimism. There is something about being surrounded with green,
growing plants that transports the heart back to those unsullied, warm-weather days
of childhood. What are your fondest memories of summer?
My
crepe myrtles are in full bloom. They look like dancing girls along
the driveway. Children's voices can be heard outside, playing in
their grandma's back yard. Aaah, yes, it is indeed summer.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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