Summertime, and the Living is (not) Easy

I’m exhausted and it’s all Summer’s fault. Don’t get me wrong – I love Summer – but the vision of relaxing on the veranda, the pace of life slowed down, is all a myth – at least in my family.

Summer brings lots and lots of yard work to do. The flowers I planted are beautiful, but they need tending and watering and weeding. That’s not an issue in the Winter.

Summer brings double the loads of laundry – piles of wet swimsuits and towels, sweaty clothes from playing outside.

Summer brings lots more opportunities for activities – playing in the neighborhood pool EVERY day, baseball games, trips to the beach and the park, daytrips to the mountains that snow makes inaccessible in the Winter, museums and other learning opportunities to keep the children’s minds from turning to mush, trips to theme parks and water parks, and visits with friends and family that often don’t happen in the dead of Winter.

Summer brings sand in the car to vacuum out, pollen on the windowsills to dust, floors and carpets to clean constantly because the dirty foot traffic is multiplied exponentially.

Summer also brings lots and lots of doctor visits, hospitalizations, and medical procedures – all those things I put off during the school year to minimize the time away from class.

The stress of summer may be a little greater this year because I have tried to pack 3 months worth of sun and fun into a month and a half. Ronnie’s surgery will put us all pretty much out of commission starting August 1st.

I really, really do love Summer. In fact, one of the reasons I like living in Virginia is because the seasons do change. About the time I am getting tired of Summer, Autumn rolls around. When I am sick of cold weather, viruses and snow, Spring arrives.

So Summer, I’m not blaming you, really, but could you slow down for just a day or so? And while you are at it, make sure the wine is chilled and the steaks are on the grill.