Summer's Coming

by Angela Sanford

  There’s nothing like putting away the heavy sweaters of a frigid winter gone by. Hopefully, soon, the spring rain jacket can find itself in the same closet, with only a sparse outing throughout the summer days. But today, today was an opportunity to relish in the early summer warmth.

   Yes, my clothes are lighter but even better was walking away from the school at the end of the day with jacket in hand not on my back. The sun was shining and despite the brisk wind it was easy to enjoy standing outside at Findley Park for a few minutes before a scheduled meeting.

   The potholes on our backroad have dried up and the temperatures in my enclosed deck are just about high enough when I awake in the morning to be able to enjoy a morning beverage and a chapter from a chosen novel before starting the workday. This is one of my favourite times, when the birds are chirping and the morning air is fresh, and life feels new.

   In younger years, I’d be in sandals by mid April. However, the first full week of May is upon us and I have yet to break the sandals out and out the socks away for a few months, like I have done with my “winter pants.” Now, I am enjoying lighter pants, short sleeves and no sleeves is just around the corner; I trust that day will come though it has arrived in the four walls of the classroom where the temperature has climbed daily.

   It is so ironic the sudden heat within the classroom of our local school when it felt like it took most of the winter months to chase the warmth. Now, even myself who is often chilled, is seeking an open window to let a cool breeze through the room. With the end of the school, year in sight, one can only expect that the temperatures will continue to rise, both inside and out. With this rise, it is easier to reframe my mindset and self affirming, mentally and physically. 

   Another winter has increased my ability to be resilient, and I am eager to engage in summer events and activities. As I returned home from my afternoon meeting, ball practice was preparing to start, a large gang of kids were on their bikes and a runner was making her way steadily down the road. This flurry of activity was refreshing, and I enjoyed each scene as I drove along with my sunroof open and my music (and my own vocals) just a bit louder than it was last week. The same evening, I witnessed a family campfire and longed for my own, with the classics playing and marshmallows roasting. 

   While I’d love to live somewhere where summer never ends, I am certain I would not appreciate this as much as I do the scenes of the day that build to summer as it slowly draws near and morphs me into a sun worshipper once again!