Summertime joys

With the temperatures soaring well into the 100s, it's clear that summer is definitely here to stay. I feel like this year I have been able to especially enjoy the spirit of summertime, since for the first time in 6 years I haven't either been waitressing crazy night shifts or, like the previous two summers, studying or attending evening classes. Instead, I go to work, have free time in the evenings and have my weekend days off. With warm weather and daylight that stretches long into the evenings, it's been great to spend more time outside going on evening walks, getting some delicious frozen yogurt while strolling the city streets as the sun goes down, or playing frisbee with friends.

Since it's the first summer in a long while that I have been able to catch my breath so to speak, I find myself recalling more childhood summertime memories - probably because now it's a little easier for me to think of summer as a time for relaxation, rejuvenation and adventure. The way that summers used to be! I fondly recall childhood summers spent reading book after book, swimming in the neighborhood pool, catching lightening bugs after dark, having American Girl doll club meetings with my friends, sitting on the porch with my family on summer nights eating ice cream and sharing good conversation, going on trips to the beach with my family, going to summer camp and enjoying time spent in nature. The list could go on and on. Especially as a child, summer was such a beautiful, carefree time brimming with the promise of time off from school, and time spent having fun.

I feel like I have been blessed experience a little bit more of this summertime spirit this year. Although I don't have the means or vacation time to travel anywhere extravagant this summer, I enjoy even simply daydreaming of future trips or modest getaway ideas. Most of all I just appreciate being more free to enjoy the simple pleasures of the season, from fresh cherries, to early morning sunrises, to afternoons on the beach. And on that note, I am off now to curl up with a good book...because quite honestly, one of the best parts of summer for me is the chance to explore, read, and enjoy new books. Right now I am reading a Christian Historical fiction series by Francine Rivers, "Mark of the Lion" that is excellent. But I have many more books to get to, so off I go!