My favorite season has always been autumn. That wonderful time of year that, to me, always marked new beginnings and changes. The leaves change, the humidity drops, it gets perfectly cool outside, and there is a palpable sense of “fall” all around you. For as long as I can remember it also signified the start of a new school year – in case you haven’t met me, I take that as a very good and exciting thing – with new new classes, new teachers, new fancy writing utensils and folders and notebooks and outfits (I really love office supplies, in case that wasn’t obvious). It signifies the start of football and the anticipation for the holiday season. It’s that time of year when they start selling those cinnamon scented broom stick things (what are those?!) at the grocery store and it’s totally acceptable to drink hot apple cider at every meal. It’s cool, it’s exciting, it’s comfortable. Autumn, autumn, autumn.
But times, they are a changing, my friends. And this year I find myself wholeheartedly embracing summertime. The fresh redness of watermelons in contrast with their black seeds, the appropriateness of blue gingham shirts and belted floral sundresses, the summer hair do’s (by which I mean… I generally stopped brushing my hair and started misleadingly claiming ‘beach hair’), the warmth that surrounds you like a blanket when you step outside, the rainy afternoon showers like clockwork, the lazy unhurried feel of daily tasks, the buzz of bumblebees and fireworks. Ah, yes, summer.
For some reason I haven’t really ever noticed summer in its full glory. Perhaps it’s because, for me, summer has always been just the precursor to fall – to books, to classes, to an exciting new school year. But this summer… this summer is distinctly different. I’m graduating college this summer. And this fall doesn’t symbolize a new school year, better still, this summer symbolizes new life and adventure and recreation in my life. So I have decided to meet this time of year with an unmatched enthusiasm for all things quintessentially summer. To put it simply: I am eager to sip tart lemonade on my front porch in my cut-off jean shorts with my hair in braids and watch the world go by. Yeah, I said it. I am so down with summer, and I am so ready for what this summer has begun to symbolize in my life.
Just to kind of reward you for reading all that ^ shannon-related rambling, I threw together a really quick video from this Fourth of July. Go forth and relish in the warmth of summertime, drink lemonade, commit a few minutes of your day to sitting lazily in the warm summer heat, and maybe a light a few sparklers if you dare : )
