50 Things I Love About Summer
Sunshine. Warm, early morning sunshine cutting through the cool air of night feels like true happiness to me. I love the bright bathe of light on my skin and the way I can’t not smile. I love the sun in all seasons, but at it’s most powerful I bask in the wash of energy. Like the rest of Earth at this time of year, I just want to grow.
Water. Swimming, wading in shockingly cold creeks and splashing in sprinklers or having an impromptu hose fight while watering the garden, cool rain, the sweetness of cold water on a hot day and the glimmering pearls that collect on a glass of something cool left in the heat, a cool shower to rinse away the sweat and dirt of the day before bed. I am a water baby, and water is never more obviously important than during these hotter drier months.
Green. All the soft hues of spring at full saturation. Every vibrant shade of green, everywhere I look.
Wildflowers. Every few weeks more bloom while others fade, marking the phases of the growing season. Now: chicory, Queen Anne’s lace, Indian paintbrush, black-eyed Susan, vetch, thistles, teasel, mullein, and the first brilliant ironweed blossoms. Each phase my favorite, all summer long.
Barefoot. My feet in grass, in sand, on slippery creek bed rocks. I wear shoes all the rest of the year, even indoors due to problematic arches, but in the summer I simply cannot resist the sensory bliss that is naked feet outside (just not on the gravel driveway. Or hot pavement).
Nail polish. I love painting my nails. The smell of nail polish gives me headaches, but in the summer when I can paint my nails outside and they dry fast in the heat I react less. I can only stand polish on my toenails, and there’s no point when I’m not going barefoot all the time, so summertime is the time of year I pull out my aging collection of polishes and get my girly on, me and my daughters.
The moon. It’s here all year of course, but the longer evenings out-of-doors means I pay more attention to it than I typically do during other seasons. I love the stars best in the winter, but I love the moon best in the summer. It just looks so cool and calm. Plus, moon bathing is so much more comfortable when I’m not shivering.
Iced coffee. I’m usually a hot coffee girl, even in the summer, a hot mug is just so cozy and the smell is divine. But lately I’ve been making cold brew with cold foam, and it’s just…yeah.
My mother’s sun tea. For as long as I can remember my mom has brewed gallons of fruit tea steeped in the sun and served with ice and apple juice. I don’t do it very often, but it’s a taste of summer’s past.
Chilled kombucha and water kefir. It’s my version of sun tea, and there’s nothing better to drink after coming in from a hot couple hours in the garden.
…unless it’s chocolate milk. We’re big chocolate milk people over here.
Trees. I love trees always, but they are at their fullest and most vibrant this time of year. The colors of fall are amazing, but that’s their last burnout, a few weeks at best before they go bare. Summer leaves are the best.
Shade, especially under trees; relaxation incarnate.
Reading. I read most in the summer, library programs and challenges and having more time. It’s been one of my favorite things ever since I was eight.
Time. I love homeschooling, really. In theory I do; on good days, even in practice. But, I love taking a break from being that responsible and just letting the kids go wild and play as much as they want…and letting myself take time to read and sit in the grass under a tree and just breathe. That’s summer to me: time to breathe.
The smell of rain.
Summer storms.
Fireflies. Silent fireworks, alive and happy yellow.
Evening walks. We don’t eat early enough typically for there to be daylight for after dinner walks during the rest of the year, but I love walking through the cool of the evening.
Hiking. I love hiking at any time of year, we just do it more often in the summer. And, hiking in the woods is especially nice in the summer when the shade is favorable.
Going to parks and playgrounds and the beach and seeing how much my girls have grown since last year.
Family vacations. There’s nothing like living together for a week to make you remember why you love them (and sometimes why they drive you crazy, but those usually go together, lol).
Having my husband home. Teaching means being all but absent for nine months of the year, but every summer we get time to look at each other again and kind of go: You! That’s right…you’re my favorite person! It’s like falling in love all over again.
My garden. All the toil of spring planting finally paying in produce and herbs. Magic.
The smell of sun warmed tomatoes.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to CrossWitch to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.