Summer is definitely the greatest season … in theory. As a teacher, I have the summer “off”. I use the quotes, because my brain never
turns off, so I’ll still planning and doing stuff all summer, but I don’t have
to physically go to work. Don’t get me
wrong; it’s a beautiful thing having a 2½ month break (otherwise, I’d probably
be in an institution somewhere), but it’s not like I just get to kick back and
do whatever I want all the time.
Example: My kids are
also out of school. While the older one
is off doing his thing most of the time, the younger one has no ability to
entertain herself. I am the
entertainment provider (and the bank, for said entertainment). She sleeps until noon or one and then lies in
bed for an hour catching up on whatever riveting social media posts might have
happened in the dark hours. Then she
gets up and does … pretty much nothing. (Maybe
I’m just jealous…) She has no hobbies.
She doesn’t play an instrument or read books or create things. During the school year, she plays sports all
the time, but this summer … nothing.
Nada. She won’t go to the YMCA
with me. She won’t go for a run. She won’t walk on our basement treadmill
(which is directly under an air conditioning vent!). The most action I’ve seen out of her is when
I connected the old-school Wii sports the other day, and she played a little
tennis. (Again, I’m probably just jealous, because I’m
old and getting fat.)
Another Example: I
live in Nebraska. So the weather goes
from being too cold to go outside … to torrential rainstorms which scare the
shit out of the youngest one and flood my basement … to humidity so high that
even gardening is a sweaty shitfest.
Right this second, the temperature outside is absolutely beautiful –
like 75 degrees and not all that humid.
I went outside for about 10 minutes, and I now have at least two dozen
mosquito bites. (Bastards.) All I want to do is go outside and hang out
in the haven I’ve created out there, but the subsequent malaria or Lyme Disease
doesn’t seem worth it.
But summer is also sleeping in and the College World Series (except
I didn’t get to go this year), and vacations (except I couldn’t afford one this
summer), and the pool (except mine is currently green because of all the recent
rain). Lots of POTENTIAL good to be had
in the summer.
If I was in California, where I belong, I’d just go play
outside, but for now, I’m just gonna go join the little one for another match
of Wii tennis. Maybe do some Wii Fit
yoga or something. I guess not everyone
can have the beach summer from the catalogue.
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