'Glorious Summertime'

Remember summertime back in the good old days when you were a kid? Magical, mystical, glorious summertime! The sounds of kids playing outside, the sound of an ice cream truck turning your corner, the smell of a fresh cut lawn, the smell of burgers cooking on the grill…summer!
Playing in the water sprinkler, the slip and slide, an afternoon at the city pool, or waist deep in your grandpa’s pond…summer! Tadpoles and lightening bugs, the sound of frogs croaking after a summer shower, June bugs spinning idiotically beneath the yellow porch light, a ladybug in the palm of your hand…summer!
Sleeping in the back yard in a tent under a full moon, a cane pole down at the creek at the edge of town, catching crawdads and giggin’ frogs…summer! Snow cones, peanuts in your coke, watermelon, and fried okra, and fresh peaches right off the tree…summer!
And then you grew up. You got a job, got married, got some kids. You cooked and cleaned, folded laundry…and played Farmville. Outside became the distance from your car to the door. The heat made you sweat and the weeds made you sneeze. You never took the time to watch a sunset and the lights of the city blocked out the stars at night. Summer had become…just summer.
You can go back, you know. It’s not too late. I did! Yes, the feeling that always came over me when I was a kid…I found it. And I…LOVE SUMMER!
My advice to you…let it all go! The dishes, the lawn, the bills…well, maybe not the bills…put everything aside for just a few minutes every day and rediscover summer! Get outside and sweat until you smell! Get dirty! Then rinse off with the water hose! Go to the city park, go to a state park, go fishing! Flag down the ice cream truck, just push your way through that crowd of pesky children. Watch the birds, watch the squirrels, watch the smokin’ hot neighbor wash her car. Take her a glass of lemonade and sit on the porch and talk!
Summer is a gift from God. Why would we not take advantage of such an awesome gift? It’s a wonderful time to fulfill your bucket list…or start one. Walk, run, ride a bike. Cook something outside. Watch the stars. Find the constellations. Catch a grasshopper and watch a baby bird learn to fly.
And play with your kids…if you want to recapture that magical excitement of summers long gone, start with your kids. They may not know just how special summer is…show them. Teach them how to make a whistle from a blade of grass. Point out the wildflowers on the side of the road. Make homemade ice cream. Make memories. Make your heart and theirs burst into bloom…bond…live!
Life is just too short to waste a summer day. I gotta go…ride my bike.