As summer descends and our days grow longer, warmer, and brighter, I notice that my mind tends to wander to my past. To carefree summer nights spent dancing and drinking deep into the night and stealing free day time hours at the beach with friends. To times when my responsibilities were limited and my attention was devoted selfishly to reckless, feckless fun. And it was okay. And sometimes I wish I could have some of those days and nights back...
Now that I'm older, presumably wiser, and most importantly, a parent, summer means figuring out what to do with my child while I work, my husband works, and he has endless weeks of no school. My appreciation for school grows with each summer...We prep for summer by finding camps and setting up playdates to fill his days with non-stop activity. He too is thrown off by the vast amount of free time. He loves school. He cherishes the routines of the school year...He misses friends during the summer.
I still love the longer days and having sunlight in the evenings. It makes me feel more productive to have it still be light when I return home from work. I can play in the garden, tinker on little backyard projects, enjoy a glass of wine while Dan grills something...and I love it. And I sometimes wish I could tuck my child into bed, slip on a slinky black sundress and sandals, and head out to a night club of my past and dance until I'm hot and sweaty and thoroughly happy...alas...there's work tomorrow, and a boy who wakes at dawn...
