In concept, summer is a fantastic time of year: no school (for some), more work means more money, seeing old friends come back from college, going on adventures, priceless hangouts, it's a pretty great three months. Summer is simultaneously the worst season out of all the seasons of the year. For those of us who can't stand the sunny season, here are some tips and tricks to beat five of the biggest summer struggles.
1. The Weather
Problem: If anyone says they enjoy the heat summer brings, they are lying. Anything above 86 feels the same (hellish), humidity and heat are Flotsam and Jetsam when it comes to hair, and sometimes it's so hot you feel like you can't do anything but lay around inside staying cool. Don't even get me started on getting into the car on a hot day.
Solution: If you have to be out in the heat, make sure you wear clothes that you won't hate the tan-lines that come with it. Otherwise, stay inside, watch a movie, wait until it's dark and (hopefully) cool out and then go have some fun, because there is no hope while the sun is out.
2. Public Pools
Problem: Dwight is honestly on to something – when it comes to public pools. Get in the pool, you might get challenged to a chicken fight by some 12 year-olds you don't even know. Get out of the pool, you'll be lucky if you can find a spot next to an already occupied chair to lay out. Sand volleyball is always taken over by kids playing around in the sand, the concession stand ran out of Welch's fruit snacks, and everything in the bathrooms are far too wet to be comfortable.
Solution: Get there early in the morning, claim a table/a pool chair as yours by spreading a bunch of stuff throughout the area, pop in some headphones and enjoy the day. When you do get in the pool, get in a little before the kids have to get out and cherish the time when only adults can be in the pool.
3. Freeze Pops
Problem: These should just be illegal. It's far too easy to eat a whole bag of these.
Solution: Don't buy them, you'll get carried away too quickly. That's all.
4. Bugs
Problem: Daytime sucks because wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, etc. are out. Nighttime sucks because mosquitoes, moths, and June bugs are out. Going outside anytime of day is a lose/lose situation. And how dare the demon-spawn even think about coming inside, this is my private domicile and I will not be harassed.
Solution: Being an avid tanner, you quickly find out that bug sprays/fans/whatever other contraption do not work. Wasps and hornets are attracted to water to build nests, so setting out a cup of sugar water away from the area that you're in will stave them off. Nighttime bugs hate smoke, so that give you every right to have a bonfire and stuff your face with s'mores all the time.
5. Pets
Problem: I like to think I love my dogs more than a normal dog lover loves their own dogs. Great Pyrenees are whimsical creatures that are a treasure to this planet. The issue? Shedding. And it's not just here and there little bits of fur, it's mountains of fur. The other day I had someone ask if one of my dogs ripped up a pillow and the stuffing was on the floor: it was their fur. It's become such a regular sight that now I basically wear dog fur as an accessory.
Solution: There is none. You have a dog that sheds? Brush them everyday and there's still going to be fur everywhere. On your couches, on the floor, on your blankets, in your car. It's inescapable. Sorry.
So yeah, summer has its ups and downs. But hang in there! Everyone is going through the motions, so live it up while summer is still here and your are still young, wild, free, and YOLO savvy.
