The beauty of summer

Isn't technology wonderful?

It's a warm Saturday afternoon in the middle of summer and I find myself on the patio in front of a coffee shop in a major outdoor mall in the Pacific Northwest. There are people everywhere, kids playing in the fountain, the smell of coffee and suntan lotion in the air and me on my computer waxing philisophical. Strange blend of images but nothing less than the truth. It's too beautiful to be sitting inside but I have things I have to get done so I've grabbed my Powerbook and headed out to Redmond Town Center to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of summer while dialing into the Internet and getting things done.

It strikes me that Summer really is my favorite season of them all.

Fall is kind of like Anakin Skywalker. He's trying so hard to be full of the force (the summer type weather) but little by little, day by day, Fall slips to the dark side bringing rain, cold weather and short days. The nights get longer and darker and everyone slows down. We try to keep chipper with Halloween (which inevitably gets rained on or you have to wear a coat over your costume) andThanksgiving (Do we need more reason to go to bed early? The days are already shortening at a rapid pace.) but Fall isn't even cool enough to keep Christmas for it's own. The truly awesome holiday is too cool for Fall and slips just outside it's grasp into Winter.

Winter, my least favorite, starts off with a bang at Christmas but that's really all there is. It like a bottle rocket - all kinds of excitement leading up to a small "pop". Winter is kind of a dud like that. Once the Christmas/New Year holidays are over, you're left with 3 months of work and indoor activities punctuated by thunderstorms and bitter cold. Short days, long nights, and big Christmas bills to pay off. Oh, they've tried to pump up winter with "President's Day" and "MLK BD" but let's be honest. Those are just shopping holidays. Who gets the gang together to have a President's Day party? And who has money for such "holidays" anyway? I guess it could be considered a season of recovery. There is Valentine's Day but if you've ever been alone on that holiday (single or married), you know it belongs to Winter because it's really no fun.

Spring is good. Full of blooms and colors. The expanding days forcing the darkness to retreat. Coats come off and jackets are allowed to see daylight again. Everything seems to come alive and it's a bit easier to get up in the morning. The exciting thing about Spring is knowing that Summer is coming. Kids are excited in Spring because school is about to get out for SUMMER! Parents are excited because kids are about to be done with school for SUMMER! Women are excited because the Summer fashions are hitting the stores and they have hope to soon be wearing body conscious styles and great open toed shoes to their cubicle jobs. Spring is all about anticipating the big event - SUMMER!

Ah, Summer. Like a metaphor for life. Summer is Good just like Life is Good. I think Summer is the one time of year when you really feel alive. Fewer clothes, things seem to calm a bit, vacations, BBQ's and Patio parties with friends. Iced drinks, lemonade, hot dogs, ice cream. All things of Summer. Bright colors, simple clothes, little makeup. It's so warm, you have an excuse to lounge, to slow down and enjoy things for a change. Trashy novels, beach towels, sunburns. Summer is what life should be - slow, deliberate, enjoyed. Summer goes so quickly that we find ourselves slowing down to enjoy it just a little bit more than other seasons of the year. We get up early and stay up late. Sleep with the doors and windows open, run around barefoot in the cool grass, go for long bike rides in the evening just to be out and enjoy the day as it cools off into night.

So I'm off to enjoy the remainder of my summer day with a cool iced drink and a possible stroll through the fountain. Better do it now - Summer (like Life) is short and once it's gone, it's gone.