a love letter to summertime

14 August 2019

Written by Jada Harris

I stopped writing for a couple of months because I was feeling particularly uninspired and summer was what I needed to realign myself and focus again on doing the things that I really want to do. So I'm back with a lot of photography, some dreamy poetry, and a short piece about why summer has always been my favorite time of year.

Summertime is the best time of year. It's when kids are out of school and people start to believe that during this time of the year they can start over and experience something new. It's a perfect break in the middle of everything to reset.

Some people like winter and its constant snowfall. They want to always feel crisp air and see the world aglow in white, and while I understand the allure of that time, I think there's so much more in the summer. Winter is harsh and unforgiving so people decorate their homes to be warm and cozy in order to counteract that but you don't have to protect yourself from summer.

If only I could always be this carefree, sitting under large trees that filter through patches of sunlight and catch the breeze. Remember how it felt as a child to be outside under the warm sky and see bees and butterflies and clouds?

I love the beach- or maybe just the idea of the beach more than the actual experience, but nonetheless I go there and I love it. The smell of salt in the air and the idea of letting the forever flowing ocean push me around. Sandy clothes are a small price to pay for the effortless feeling of calm I get at the beach. I'm addicted to the sight of a coastline and other people with a day off. I love sticking an umbrella in the sand and reading a well-known but favorite book underneath the sun.

Walking around in the city or perhaps your small town, you can see everyone else alive with the summer. You can see the heatwaves off the pavement and the reflection of the sun, farmers markets and outdoor festivals. The time for warm-themed window displays and light clothes. Long bike rides and coffee shops with seating outside right next to the windows. People gathering outdoors and sharing glances, knowing that there is so much to do in this summertime that the rest of the year doesn't allow and oh how can we capture it all?

There are fireworks that we light in July and transform neighborhoods into light shows. I can't believe how many terrible things happen in the world when creatures like lightning bugs exist. I can't believe how much different summer rain feels from autumn rain and spring rain. Summer brings longer days and warmer nights. Drive-in movie theaters and flowers unafraid to bloom. It feels like such an in-between time, like a stepping stone to the rest of the year that I can't help but dwell in and think about constantly.

And then there are cold drinks to cool us down. There are popsicles after a long day and showers so we start again. There is this season and only this season that lets me look at all of the little parts of everyday life in such a way that I can appreciate them without their absence. I have the time and the ability to have fresh water and warm food and I notice it here. I notice a set of table and chairs outside and how lucky I am to have all of these things and that summertime lets me see this. Summertime is when I can feel less guilty for thinking. I can feel less guilty for not always seeing what is in front of me.