There comes a time in summer when the days seem to ebb into the nights. The days are full of sunshine antics and the nights with fireflies. As I sit here, collecting my thoughts about summer I can't help but notice the little details like how my skin is darker and my hair is lighter. Freckles now dotting my face and arms as if the sun has left little kisses all over my skin.
I think about the beach. The smell of sun screen being sprayed on and the sound of waves crashing in the background. The feel of the sand in between your toes is unmistakable and the sound of families playing in the waves is heartwarming. By the time you leave the beach paradise you are covered in sand from head to toe and are as red as a tomato.
Sunburns are the worst part about summer. They can range from slightly pinkish to red pepper in color. Your skin becomes extremely tight until it begins to peel away revealing patches of healed skin underneath. You fear going out into the sun again, but it is summer so we all know it's inevitable.
At some point in summer, you realize that the heat becomes unbearable and that the nights are more refreshing than the days. Summer nights are late and filled with ice cream and laughter. Bon fires keep the bugs away and cook your smores. Summer nights are for laying out underneath the stars with your friends and wishing summer could last forever.
We fill our hot summer days with beach vacations, pool side hours, part time jobs, cold drinks, and laughter. We see old friends and make new ones. Summer is a time for adventuring, taking risks and feeling forever young.
Then there are the rainy days of summer that make you wish for the sunny days to return. Staying cooped up inside the house during the summer is unnatural. But the smell of the rain is calming and familiar, it revitalizes our spirits. And it always seems a little cooler after a rainy day.
The summer is also full of different tastes and smells. The taste of fresh peaches and strawberries and the smell of freshly cut grass. The smell after it rains or the taste of homemade ice cream. Summer also has its own distinct sounds like birds and crickets chirping, children laughing and splashing, and fireworks shooting off into the night.
It's hard to believe that all these little things about summer seem to go unnoticed but to be perfectly honest they are my favorite part about it. So go out and embrace your summer, enjoy the little things it has to offer, don't let it slip through your fingers.
