The alarm went off this morning just after six. And my daily routine began: breakfast, drive the kids to camp, work, pick up kids, work, dinner, hang with kids, and work.
Oh, how could I forget – ensure kids have done their summer work for school.
Yup, that’s pretty much my daily routine.
Do you know what that reminds me of? The rest of the year!
Summers past were different. I remember when the season could not come fast enough and it could not stay for long enough. Sure, it changed over the years but all had an element of magic.
My boyhood summers were full of languid days of stickball, baseball cards and fireflies. Summer was simple.
Eventually, part-time jobs – busboy, cashier, stock boy – were part of my summer. But so were swimming pools and late nights hanging out at friends’ houses. Summer was energy.
Then college ended and I traveled during those next summers, going to the Middle East and Europe multiple times and there was time spent time out West. Summer was exploration.
Graduate school years brought more summers of part-time jobs and exploring New York City. Summer was wonder.
Then came the publishing industry and the marketing departments of architectural and engineering firms. July and August nights were for friends, dates and destinations. Summer was socialization.
Finally, there were over 10 years as a teacher, and summer meant a part-time job for extra money (if there is such a thing for the middle class). Summer was recuperation.
I’m sure some of those things filled your summers. Sadly, I’m back to the present.
I killed summer. It’s mundane. It’s the workday grind. It’s the concern about bills. It’s the lack of time.
Is summer done? Are July and August just like February and March save for sweat and brown grass? Turn off the heater, and turn on the air conditioner.
Well, my family and I will go on vacation (budget permitting), the kids are in camp, and bedtime is more flexible. And summer work is not the same as homework. So, there is some easing of the grind.
But …
I do miss the ease of my past summers. I miss the feeling that summer was one long day at the park. Possibilities existed, and if they arose, there was time to explore.
I know, I know. It’s responsibility and adulthood. Most people are in jobs that see little difference in terms of workload during the summer. For me, however, this is a new phenomenon. I’m in my adjustment period. Don’t worry though – I’ll be fine.
It’s just I killed summer, and I miss it.
A version of this first appeared on Me, Myself and Kids. Photo: ©Zoran Zeremski / Adobe Stock.
Love the pic you added.
Those summers of youth – nothing much like it.