Confessions of A Summer Girl: In Which Season Do You Shine?
I’ve always been a summer person.
I sparkle and shimmer and shine in June, July and August and love the heat and the water, from pool or ocean.
How I used to look forward to the summer. Summer camp. Skinny-dipping. Getting a deep dark delicious tan. (In the 1980s we did these things.) A plain girl, I felt prettier in the summer. Transformed, I always fell in love in the summer. I married in the summer. My son was born in the summer.
But now, I feel autumn creeping up on me, wrapping her fingers around my throat.
Yesterday, I was waxing nostalgic for the many wonders of summer, a friend informed me that she actually hates summer. That, in fact, it is her least favorite season. I was shocked. Horrified. How could it be? She explained her story to me, and I understand it — but it is a foreign concept to me. I’d like to hear from others.
In which season do you feel the most alive?
I love the summer. Just adore it. I love running around in shorts and polo shirts and Birkenstocks. I wish I could do it all year!
And my birthday is in the summer. So it feels like summer is my time.
But in middle age I’ve come to really enjoy early spring, and I think it has become my favorite time of year. It’s when I get to start wearing the shorts, etc. Also, I love that feeling of relief that the cold days are over. I hate the cold! But finally, seeing the trees leafing and the flowers blooming is a source of daily joy.
I’m with your friend. I hate summer – although I might have enjoyed it a little more if I’d been there skinny-dipping with you.
I suspect geography may have something to do with our difference there. We used to have friend who lived in Buffalo, and my dad asked the man one time what they did in the summer. He said if it came on a weekend they went on a picnic. I suspect your summers as barely noticeable, while ours are an unending series of 100+ days.
Fall is by far my favorite season – and not even because of football. That game has lost its luster for me through the years. I love fall because of the crisp weather and beautiful colors of the leaves.
Summer used to be my favorite. School’s out, bike riding all over town (Syracuse), jumping through lawn sprinklers on a hot summers day,
Now, I love Spring. The foliage blooming & daffodils popping up to say the cold of Winter is over. People emerging from their cacoons walking dogs and babies. I get a burst of energy to clean up the weeds in the garden, plant veggies and hag flower pots.
I guess I like all the seasons. I feel most alive when the sun is shining and the earth is raining for things to grow. The first snowflake excites me and the fall colors are so brilliant.
It’s fall for me. Soccer tournaments, barbecue month, cool air, changing leaves, football. I and two of my girls were born in fall. My summer wardrobe makes me look like an 8-year-old boy. My autumn togs are decidedly more mature.