Things I love about summer | Blog

Honestly, summer has never been my favorite season. In my hometown in the Central Valley, summers are incredibly hot and winters are cold. Most of the time I’m home with the air conditioning on full blast. Occasionally I’ll go outside for some fun and distraction in the sun. Every summer I desperately wait for the season to be over so I can enjoy the fall weather one more time with a pumpkin spice latte. It wasn’t until recently that I started thinking about what makes summer so special: Is it the time without school? Is it having fewer obligations and more time to do things you enjoy with family and friends? Spending days in the sun and water? I think on the surface it’s those things. But I believe it goes much deeper. As I tried to understand the excitement about summer, I started noticing and appreciating the little things I love about summer. I decided to stop seeing summer in a negative light and give it a fair chance. Here is a list of things I have come to love about summer.

Night swimming

Lately, my favorite thing to do has become spending late nights with my family at my aunt’s house. We chat, swim in the pool, and enjoy grilled food prepared by the family chef (my uncle). One day, I was floating peacefully with my ears submerged in the water so I couldn’t hear anything. It was night, and as I lay there, I looked up at the stars and the moon. Combined with the fairy lights strung around the pool, I felt euphoric. I could feel the coolness of the water, but also the warm breeze. It felt like summer. It was summer.

Days at the lake

After spending a full day at the lake, the sun shining on me, and playing chicken fights or pool with my siblings, cousins, and friends, there’s nothing I love more than taking a nap in the backseat of the car on the way home. My skin is freshly tanned. I have the perfect tousled, wavy lake hair, and I know a warm shower is waiting for me. As I look out the car window and listen to music, I feel my eyes slowly closing. I’m not sure if it’s the heat of the sun that’s wearing me out, but whatever it is, it’s the feeling I had as a little kid – falling asleep after a long day of fun.

The Fourth of July

The night of the 4th of July is always loud and chaotic. Fireworks going off everywhere is not really my thing. Most of the time I end up jumping like crazy in fear. What I enjoy most is watching. The groups of teenagers racing into the night on their bikes and skateboards while fireworks light up the sky are the epitome of that “summer feeling.” It makes me feel like the night is still young. Regardless of how I feel about fireworks, I find it comforting to know that I can expect to hear them every summer.

walks

For me, as an introvert, late evening walks to beat the sun are a treat in the summer when there aren’t as many people around. A few people walk their dogs or try to get in a few steps, but for the most part the streets are empty and quiet. I listen to the wind whistling through the tall trees and watch the moonlight glisten on the surface of the canal. I pick a random flower from one of the trees and smell its sweet, light scent as I walk. There’s the sound of the sprinklers and the fresh smell of the wet grass. And there are the warm pink, yellow and orange colors in the sky as the sun sets and night falls. Everything feels a little more cheerful after spending an evening in the fresh summer air.

Although fall will forever hold a special place in my heart, I admit that summer has its beauty too. I choose to be thankful for the things summer has to offer because every season, whether you consider it the best or the worst, deserves to be appreciated.