What I’ll Miss About This Summer
There has been far too much heavy discussion around here this week. And heavy thinking.
Today I need to turn my focus to something a bit less stressful. So let’s talk summer. Yes, yes, I know – we have our feet planted firmly in August and Labor Day Weekend is a mere three weeks away. Schools are gearing up for the new year. Back-to-school shopping ads are everywhere. Summer is slipping away…
I don’t actually love summer. In fact, I kind of hate it. Summer is maybe my least favorite season of the year. Nothing makes me cry quite like heat and humidity. Except maybe bugs. Bugs make me cry. OK, they make me have panic attacks. But that’s another story. I digress.
It seems ridiculous, really, that we should talk now about summer’s end. After all, summer doesn’t end until late September, right? Summer is actually only about half over. But we’ve been programmed by the calendar and so when school bells threaten to ring, we put away our sandals, hang up our swimsuits, and turn our thoughts to pumpkin-flavored everything.
But like the rest of the world, I find my thoughts focused very squarely on the end of summer and the beginning of this new season. It’s not a bad thing to look forward. It’s quite good, actually. But even as I think about the great adventures in store for all of us, I realize – maybe for the first time ever – that I shall miss summer.
I will miss the abundance of daylight hours. Starting and ending the day in darkness is so difficult in the winter. Having sunlight available for so much of the day is a definite benefit of summer.
I will miss the luxury of breaking from routine. Although each of us in this family thrives on a strong routine, it is good for the soul to be able to sleep in late, read a book, take a nap, watch a movie in the middle of the day, or decide to take off for the mountain because the weather is perfectly right to do so.
I will miss the time the Fab Hub, Kidzilla, and I have had together this summer. All other things aside, we have had a priceless opportunity to spend our days together – all day and every day. The Hub and I have always had summers off, but this year was different.
I will miss the empty days on the calendar. We have done many things this summer, but even when our days were full, it felt different than during the school year when our time is spent more by necessity than desire.
I will miss the feeling of freedom. The start of summer feels like a great big empty page, a clean slate. Summer offered our family the opportunity to choose to do or not do each day. We felt perfectly justified in having a lazy morning in our pajamas if we wanted. We didn’t stress about how much sleep Zilla would get if we stayed up late to watch the fireworks or a movie or lightning bugs floating about in the field behind our house. We were free to have breakfast for lunch or ice cream for dinner. We didn’t have to rush anywhere.
I will miss the sounds and smells of summer. Thunderstorms, crickets chirping in the humid summer nights, lawnmowers growling, breathing in the aroma of freshly-cut grass, steaks grilling in backyards…all of it.
But summer will come to an end and autumn will take hold of our senses. The seasons will change. Whether we prefer to linger or are anxious to move forward, life must go on.
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Beautifully said my friend. I am feeling like summer was just one big stressful blur. I can’t believe it’s basically over in a few short days. I have to reflect on this season and find the good and glorious in it still…
I am praying for you Lisa!! *Strength* *Wisdom* *Faith* *Growth* *Transformation* *Grace* *Healing*
Thank you, Chris. Praying right back for you! Always.
Summer has felt like a blur for us but also like a long and delicious stretch, too. I’m choosing not to focus on the “over” part just yet. I mean, Kidzilla doesn’t start school until after Labor Day, so we still have time. ;D
Very well said! I will definitely miss having so much daylight. My kids have been fighting me about going to bed because it doesn’t make sense that it’s bedtime when the sun is still up. Getting back into our “routine” is proving to be difficult.
I’m just like you. Summer is not my favorite season. I get more excited about fall than anything else, but there are definitely perks to summer! What I will miss the most of the freedom to do what we want. The weather (when not too hot) can be perfect for the kids to play in.
Thanks, Nicole. The daylight is great for sure. I hear you about the bedtime thing – our Kidzilla feels exactly the same. And I understand – going to bed when the sun is out is no fun but to get the right amount of sleep for a school night makes it so difficult.
It is indeed the freedom that I will miss the most.
I will miss all of the same things. I think this was the most popular post this week and just about every one said they would miss the long days:)!
I saw that many people picked this one! Whether you love or hate summer, it seems all will miss at least that part.
What a beautiful send off to summer. Although I’m with you on the bugs and heat part. That’s what I won’t miss about summer at all. Here it gets so oppressively hot that I don’t want to spend more than a few minutes outside. I hate that too because I feel like I should be spending more time outdoors during the summer. But then again, it’s so mild here during the winter that I get out then. It’s so backwards here sometimes.
Thanks, Steve. I will definitely be sad to see this particular summer go. But the bugs, heat, and humidity – good riddance! I struggle with the same thing – feeling like I want to be outside, but if it’s really humid I just won’t go there. Sounds like you get a nice trade-off not having frigid winters, though!
I totally agree on summer with its heat, humidity, and mosquitos. I love the more moderate seasons a lot better, and my favorite season is about to start! But I also agree on the advantages. Especially this summer has been special for me, as I’ve been on maternity leave from early July on. I’ve enjoyed taking the girls to the pool, to the playground, to the forest to play, to read a lot more, to meet friends, and yes, to take tons of naps. Now I’m looking forward to my fall off even more, I’m going to have a first-grader soon!!!
Naps are awesome. Wish I had thought that way as a kid and enjoyed them more. It’s much more difficult to sneak one in as a grown-up! Cheers to the new first graders – Kidzilla is entering first this year, too.
School starts next week here. I can’t wait!!!!! I love my son but hate seeing him so completely bored. He does so much better with a strong routine. I’m glad your family had precious time spent together this summer. Let’s hear if for sweaters!! M
Huzzah for sweaters!!! I love nothing better than sweater weather.
Sorry to hear about the heavy discussions this week. That’s never easy. I’m really sad about summer being almost over, too. I feel like – for me – it’s been way too busy and I’m really jealous of the fun things that our sitter is doing with Tucker. Sigh. Also, I’m SO not ready for kindergarten. At all. The too-early dark nights bother me, too.
YAY for fireflies! We’ve been letting Tucker stay up to watch them, too. This is a beautiful post and you’re making me want to go outside, right now. In fact, I think I will. <3
I hope you are outside and don’t read this! Enjoy the fireflies!
Tucker (and you) will be OK in Kindergarten – I promise. It’s hard. Really hard. We had a rough year but we made it through and so will you! 😀
I have nothing more to add to your list, I will miss exactly all of these same things and couldn’t have said it better myself!
I think the general sentiment in the Summer posts is very similar – freedom, slow pace, and daylight! I think that was the big winner!
Turning our thoughts to pumpkin-flavored everything. Isn’t that truth? I’ve already seen it starting on Pinterest. I’ll miss the same things about summer, and I also feel my mind turning towards fall. We bought new shoes for the kids today.
There is something about new schoolshoes that just screams fall to me. New shoes at any other time of the year are just not quite the same thing.
As we so often are–we are completely on the same page with this. Summer has always been my least favorite season due exactly to heat and humidity. Thick, coarse, curly hair is the equivalent of wearing a wool stocking cap in summer. But this has been a great summer. Not that I wanted to banish my son to China, but having only one of the kids here–and our middle one at that–has given us precious bonding time. She is going into her senior year of college and on the edge of the next big thing. We have had time to dream and scheme, and it has been amazing. I will miss it and her.
You know, the middle children in a family miss out on the one-on-one that a first or a last child get with parents. What a wonderful opportunity to have her alone for a while. A definite blessing!
I agree with you that our feelings for seasons have been skewed. I, too, associate the end of summer with the return to school, even though it was typically a month before the calendar agreed. For me, having lived most of my life in Southern California, the other seasons were a bit off as well. To me, Thanksgiving is in winter. It is cold (for here) and dark out. That is winter.
Yes, cold and dark equals winter. I think the seasons are very different from when I was growing up, too. Somehow I remember December being colder, things like that. Although after this winter, I can’t say I remember any winter at all that was colder!
I’m already missing summer since my boys are back to school today! I keep telling myself we’ll still have the summer weekends. Our seasons here in the Midwest seem to be quite confused this year. August is usually hot, humid, and almost unbearable (though I happen to like that weather) but this August has felt more like Fall. I’m sitting here with my windows open…very strange.
You know, we’re having some slightly fall-ish weather here this week, too. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! But it’s like a horrible tease since I know it won’t last. Enjoying it while I can!