By Kristin Otts, special to Mountain Valley News
It doesn’t matter what the calendar says; I always know when it’s summer.
I know because my room becomes a sauna, and I have to keep a water bottle beside my bed so as to prevent dehydration in the middle of the night.
I know because my work ethic disappears and is replaced by the desire to do nothing but sunbathe, swim, watch tv, and eat ice cream.
I know because all my friends – excluding myself – start turning golden-brown like cooked turkeys.
But mostly I know it’s summer by the feeling. It feels like possibility; like the promise of sunshine and fun and reunions with friends and family. It feels like kicking off your shoes and stretching out on a hammock and taking a deep, deep breath.
So I have a question: why should we base this feeling on the time of year? Why can’t every day feel like summer?
I’m not saying that we should spend each day sipping lemonade and watching soap operas. Most of us have jobs and families and pets that need our attention sometimes. But the mindset of summer is one that we can adopt for the rest of our lives; the idea that each day is full of possibility and promise. We can look for joy in every single sunrise. We can plan spontaneous reunions in the dead of winter. We can stay up late and eat ice cream just because it’s enjoyable.
And in my opinion, we should.
The other day I told a coworker, “Life is too short to waste it with pessimism.” This is my summer state of mind. I will spend my life looking for hope and joy in each moment. I will kick off my shoes and stretch out on a hammock and eat candy and spend time with people I love. I don’t care what time of year it is; I don’t care if others believe that this mindset is naïve. I think it’s necessary. I think it’s healthy. I think it’s the way we were meant to live.
What’s on your schedule this summer?
