A humid, cloudy, lazy Saturday here in the U.S. Midwest.
It’s summer. Smack dab in the middle of heat, mosquitoes, and humidity. This is the type of weather that we go to art fairs, Renaissance Faires, and family picnics. We sit outside and sweat while we play baseball or bags, admire paintings we can’t afford, and push the kids on the swings.
We also try and get a lot of chores done during this hot, sticky, unbreathable weather. Not only do we undertake bi-weekly tasks like mowing the lawn and pulling weeds, but work on the car, walk the dogs, barbeque everything, and go to baseball games.
We are very active in the summer. Just like we’re supposed to be.
My problem is that I sweat walking across the street during this weather. My pores get a cleansing whether I want them to or not. It’s hard to look beautiful when your skin is shiny with sweat and your hair is up and you’re wearing the least amount of clothes possible.
Not that beauty matters anymore — but hygiene does. Comfort does. Endurance does.
All the art fairs and music concerts and medieval times around here are all in the hottest months of the year, July and August. They are fun, family oriented, and entertaining. Artists finally get to show their wares, cream puffs and funnel cakes take center stage, and you can stop and listen to almost any kind of music your little rhythm heart desires.
So what is the point of all of this?
I had to stop and think of this one. Seeing as when I started writing I was going in one direction, and between cream puffs and music I got lost.
Maybe it’s just that there is always something to do during the hot summer months. There is no reason to lock yourself away or complain that there’s nothing to do. The world offers so many things to explore, and summertime is no different than other seasons.
Yes, there are uncomfortable parts to summer….bugs and sweat among the top 10.
But there’s also so many rewards. The thrill of watching a little kid hit a baseball. The fresh air of the morning while you take yourself or or dog for a walk. The beauty of pottery or metalworking or watercolors from hard working artists. The beauty of flowers bursting in full colorful blooms everywhere you look. The thrill of nature that surrounds you when you are camping or riding in a canoe.
The heat will pass. So will the mosquitoes. Prepare well, then get yourself out in the world. It’s waiting for you.
What kind of activities are you all about in the summer?
Humoring the Goddess 
I think you are so right! I also think that’s my problem — maybe it’s not a problem after all!
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That’s the only way to be!
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And I think we all need to do more chilling. I try and limit my projects — even the ones I love. If it’s too hot to sit out in the evening I still try and make it with a glass of wine looking out the front window!
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We are bestest buddies already!
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Perfect! I think we try to fit as much as we can, into summer, since winter is right around the corner…again. We can’t afford to waste a single nice day.
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Hmmm…right now…staying cool, even though admittedly our weather is reasonable for summer
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As a fellow Midwesterner, I know just what you mean. I love the art fairs the most, but haven’t been to one since the pandemic hit. I’m hoping to get out there for a couple in Minneapolis in the coming weeks. I also love to hang out in the back yard with a glass of wine and my family, the grill fired up for cooking dinner. But early mornings in these hot summer months are the best: the garden waking up, birds, and, for us this morning, a fawn prancing around with what looked like pure joy.
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Summer just means fun, always has. Since we are retired we try not to over-exert ourselves in the heat of the summer, but we enjoy visiting with friends and neighbours around the pool, reading on the terrace and going out for meals. I always think of summer as a social time, with lots of laughter and food.
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