Ode to Summer

Sunday night's sunset in Arnold, MD

After the longest, coldest, snowiest, most miserable winter I can remember, summer is finally here.  It's time for backyard barbecues, pool parties, and beach bonfires.  We pull out our sandals, our bathing suits, those dresses or shorts that haven't seen the outside of our closets since last September.  It all has the faintest smell of sunscreen still clinging to it.

No matter how old I am, summer brings with it that feeling of freedom from school being let out and three impossibly long, hot months in front of me.  With so much to do and so many possibilities, summertime could (and would) allow anything to happen.  

As a child, I mostly remember running around first in our backyard, then the larger neighborhood.  Everything was so green.  The ice cream truck would come by every evening and by July, the driver knew my order by heart - watermelon slush, every time.  We'd get to the beach for a few weeks, where we didn't have the same rules as at home, but could stay out later, run further, yell louder.  As I got older, things became about the drives to the beach with friends, nighttime pool parties where I would inevitably be thrown in fully clothed, and epic card games on porches or patios.  

Summer makes me happy.  It brings a smile to my face, no matter what.  This weekend, as I found myself cruising down the highway, top down, in the early evening, I couldn't help but think how lucky I am.  That was a perfect moment.  The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, the music was loud and good.  Summer gives us these moments.  It's that feeling of finally being outside after being cooped up for months.  It's that warmth from the sun as you lie by the water.  It's that sunset where you can't believe colors can be that vivid.

Summer, it's good to see you.