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May 2017 // The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Here

Summer doesn’t officially start for another few weeks here in the northern hemisphere, but in my heart and mind, it’s already here. This is my favorite time of year but to be honest, I’m not sure why. The heat is intense, the bugs are everywhere, and the threat of severe weather is worrisome but something about the season makes me feel alive and happy again. I love the rain that rolls in the evenings and the warm nights I spend on bar patios with friends. Summer is when new connections are forged, and beautiful memories are made. I’m so ready to see what June has in store for me.

But before I do, here is what I am currently:

Writing some essays, or, I am learning how to write essays anyway. I’ve decided, I think, that becoming an essayist is the dream. I’m hoping to learn by example. I’m consuming popular longform non-fiction pieces from my favorite publications, reading print magazines, and this month I’ll be diving into some work from one of the greats, James Baldwin. So, the writing around here is going to get a bit more serious, and some of the fun and personal type stuff, book reviews, poetry, etc., will probably be moving to Tumblr.

Planning the design of the first issue of Zen and Pi the zine. I now I have been talking about this forever, but this time I mean it. I wanted to complete one project this summer, and this is it. By the middle of August, I need to have something ready for print at the very least. I’ll have more info next month.

Making some big home improvements! I haven’t written much about my house, but that’s because I hate it. We bought it years ago, during the recession, when we didn’t know what we were doing. We got a good deal, but it needs a lot of work. Unfortunately, we’ve learned that home ownership isn’t exactly for us and we’ve barely made any progress fixing this place up but if I ever want to be happy here, or sell this place and find a home I love, I have to start. First up is a new swamp cooler, then paint, then flooring maybe?

Anticipating Game of Thrones season 7! Okay, so GoT doesn’t actually premiere until July 16th, but it’s all I can think about, as far as media and pop culture go. Outside of that, I’m looking forward to Denver’s Pridefest the weekend of the 17th. I wish the parade wasn’t scheduled for the same day as Father’s Day though. Every year I feel like I have to choose or try to squeeze in both.

Reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the many used books I’ve picked up over the past few weekends. I finally finished The Mind’s I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul by Daniel C. Dennett and Douglas R. Hofstadter. This is my second attempt. It was still hard to get through, but this time I really tried, and it was so worth it. I’ll still need a third read through though.

Watching Sense8 and House of Cards on Netflix. Sense8 is visually amazing, the acting is on point, and sci-fi enough to get you out of your head and away from all the crap going on in the news. House of Cards is the opposite. It’s this world, only worse, which, I’ve learned, can be therapeutic in its own way. Plus, Claire Underwood is the smartest, sexiest, most badass female character I love to hate at the moment *heart eyes emoji*.

Feeling better! Last month my doctor expressed some doubt that the medication we started with would keep my ulcerative colitis symptoms under control. I won’t know for sure until I’m off of the steroid I’m on for short-term relief, but so far, through tapering off, I’m still doing okay. I think this is a good sign. If I feel good through the end of June, I may be able to stay on these meds rather than moving into harsher options. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Needing a little reassurance from the universe that all this good in my life isn’t a sign that terrible things are on the horizon. I don’t know how to feel gratitude and practice mindfulness with all this anxiety. I don’t deserve so much in life, I’m worried there will be hell to pay eventually.

Loving the fact that my local Alamo Drafthouse is hosting a WOMEN ONLY screening of the new Wonder Woman film and gives no fucks about the backlash from weak egoed men. I’m also living the fact that they offered free tickets to the new creepy movie. It Comes at Night for rewards members. Seriously, if there’s an Alamo Drafthouse in your city, there’s no reason for you to go to any other theater. If there isn’t, bug them until there is.

Hating that I’m losing my route next year. It’s a lot to get into, a lot of politics and specifics I’m not even sure I’m allowed to get into but basically, the school district I work for is experiencing an employee shortage, and things have to change to maximize the people we have. So my easy-peasy route with the perfect hours and the awesome kid is going away, and I have to make some tough choices next year. Also, I still hate Donald Trump and every single Republican asshat pushing cruel and destructive healthcare and environmental policies. I cannot wait for midterm elections!

Hoping the summer passes slowly, but I know it won’t. The winter months drag on for eternity, and the summer is never long enough to recover from the cold and drab and depressing. Maybe I’ll learn how to slow down time?

All in all, this month was good, but I may have been too busy looking ahead to really appreciate it. I have to try harder to appreciate where I am. Where I am going will come soon enough, and when it does, I want to know I enjoyed every step of the way there.

So, how about you? Was May good or bad to you? What are you looking forward to in June? Are you as in love with Claire Underwood as I am? Let me know in the comments (:

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Check out my weekly-ish newsletter for interesting reads + some of my own existential musings on life, love, and inevitable human suffering, or help support what I do by sharing a cup of coffee.

The inspiration for these posts come from Andrea at Create.Share.Love.

Featured image via Unsplash

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If We Were Having Coffee // Summer is Here!

Hello dear reader, and thank you for stopping by for a big of strong coffee and some good conversation. If you don’t mind I’ve been in the mood for iced coffee lately and I’ve got some already brewed in the fridge. For a special treat, I have a bit of coconut milk, the super sweet, delicious stuff from the can, not the carton kind. The weather is warming up and I have a feeling cold coffee and coconut milk will hit the spot.

***

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the school year has finally ended which means my kids are off and my route is done. This year was a hard one. This year I had a middle school route, almost all boys, and almost all having emotional and behavioral disorders, and they all hated each other. It is very hard to maintain order in a small moving vehicle under those conditions.

Despite the difficulties I really did like these kids. I always like those kinds of kids. I was one of them once and I think I understand them and can help them better than most. As I get older though I am losing my ability to see the world from their perspective. The world is a very different place than when I was in middle school.

***

If we were having coffee I would tell you that summertime means not having to go into work so early and not having to work on a bus at all. Since I am not only a bus assistant but a trainer as well I am going to spend the summer cleaning and cataloging all of our Special Needs equipment, making spreadsheets, stocking buses with supplies, and providing training for other employees. Summertime means I’m doing whatever I can to work indoors, in the air conditioning.

I’ll also be taking a bit of time off here and there. Summertime means I can make my own schedule and me and my Ole Lady are well overdue for a vacation or two. Right now we are planning a trip up to the Hot Springs. We went a few summers ago we’ve been missing those big pools of hot mineral water ever since. I can’t wait!

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I saw X-Men: Apocalypse last night and I loved it! I read some of the comics as a kid and I watched the cartoons but I never became a huge fan. (I did have a huge nerd crush on both Gambit and Jean Grey, though.) These movies have turned me into a real fan though and I find myself going back and trying to learn more about the characters.

I won’t give too much away but some of the events have me wondering about whether or not there will be another X-Men film and if it will feature Jean Grey and the “Phoenix Saga” type plot?

***

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I have been considering starting up a newsletter as a companion to this blog for a long time and today I decided to start working toward that. I signed up on Tinyletter (I want to keep this super simple for now) and began playing around with the design. It’ll be while before I start sending them out but you can sign up now if you’re interested.

Right now I’d like to combine my Saturday round-ups and something like these coffee shares into a simple weekly letter people can read right in their inbox. Of course, I’ll eventually be featuring my zines and chapbooks too, whenever I get around to putting them together.

I also have a little bit of good news but I can’t tell you what it is yet. I know, I shouldn’t have brought it up then but this good news was very encouraging and because of it I am rethinking the direction of my writing. I am actively searching now for places to submit work and a more and more of my writing time will be geared toward that, the newsletter, and my own zine.

I promise I’ll tell you the news next week but it is only a tiny bit of news so don’t get too excited or anything.

***

If we were having coffee I would tell you that my coffee is drunk and that means it is time for me to go. I’ve enjoyed chatting with you very much but I have a lot more cleaning to do and a visit with my family in a little while.

If you have a moment I’d love if you dropped a note in the comments and let me know what you’ve been up to. If you wrote a coffee chat post of your own you can leave the link and I’ll give it a read.

Good luck in the week ahead :)

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Look at this adorable dork 🐶

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Feet and Paws and a Good Patch of Grass

My puppy, Lola, loves to go outside. So even though I am tired, even though it’s hot out, and even though I am busy, I have to take her. If I don’t she will become an absolute terror in the house. She’ll find things to get into and she will run circles through the kitchen and jump all over the furniture. Taking her outside is better for everyone.

Despite that I am never really “in the mood” to take her outside. Like I said, I’m tired, it’s hot, and I have other things to do, but as soon as we get out there I can’t help but be cheered by her obvious happiness at being outdoors. Her tail is wagging, she’s panting and tugging at the leash. She wants to feel some grass under her paws!

Outside everything smells so good and the ground is littered with a million edible things. There are rabbits, and birds, and other dogs to run after and if she’s good I will let her run off leash in the tennis court or the grassy area behind it.

We go to the grassy area a lot.

Lola’s favorite thing in the whole world is the feel of grass.

When her paws hit grass she changes, she becomes confident and free. She becomes half-wild too. She tries to run and jump while still on leash and it can be hard to calm her down enough to unclip the leash. Once free she runs through the grass, she eats the grass, she digs it up, she rubs her face and, eventually, her whole body in it. It’s annoying sometimes but it’s also pretty cute.

I try to get her out in the grass at least once a day. I know she needs it and because she loves me so damn much and tries to be a good dog I figure it’s the least I can do. She deserves it.

One thing I have learned since having Lola is how to appreciate a good patch of grass. Her excitement gets me excited and next thing I know I’m running through the grass right along with her. She runs circles and figure eight’s around me while I try my best to catch her. I’ll throw a ball or a stick and the game turns into one of “keep away”.

Eventually she gets tired, especially if I mess up and forget to bring water (whoopsie). She’ll stop quickly and lay down, panting hard and looking like the happiest dog in the world. I always lay next to her, which is a pretty big deal because I am afraid of bugs. Then she rolls over for belly rubs. Once she’s rested enough we begin the running game again. We do this a few times before I start to get afraid she will get too comfortable off leash and run away.

One the walk back home and she is happy and content. and much more well behaved. I look at her and wish I could be so happy in life.

You see, dogs teach us to be happy with what we have, wherever we are. For them, gratitude is an instinct. I wish I could be content with nothing more then a patch of grass. I wish I was happy to run in circles and dig holes. I wish I didn’t need anything else. Then again maybe I don’t need more than that. Maybe I am the one complicating things. Maybe all we need to feel true happiness is nothing more than a cool patch of grass to run in.

Then again my dog eats her own puke, what does she know?

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In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Beneath Your Feet”

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If We Were Having Coffee – It’s Still Summer, Sort of

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am feeling very tired, have been for a while now. I hope you’ll forgive me if I am a little quieter than usual. I promise I am excited to see you, I’m just in desperate need of a good nights sleep.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that while the days are growing shorter and the local school districts are back in session this week summer does not feel like it is coming to an end. It’s over 90 degrees every afternoon and well into every evening. I love summer but the heat is starting to drive me a little batty.

I notice I am short tempered and exhausted much of the time and I have begun to question why I ever thought summer was the best season.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that this week was a pretty, well, boring. I worked a lot. We were running around with our heads cut off busy preparing for the start of the school year coming up this week. We had training to do, new buses to check, and equipment needed handing out. Our district is making some big, big changes and this has probably been the hardest, most chaotic, beginning to a school year.

I’m doing my best to just keep my head down and just get through it.

If we were having coffee I would motion for you to lean in close. I would whisper to you that something very big and very important did happen this week but I can’t tell you about it yet. It’s not that I don’t trust you it’s just that until there has been a formal announcement I can’t tell anyone. Next week I will though I promise!

 

If we were having I would tell you that the most exciting day this week was probably yesterday. We took My girlfriends little brother out to lunch and an afternoon of shopping. We are trying to spend more time with him now that he’s becoming a teenager and is dealing with all the difficulty surrounding that. He often seems sad and frustrated and I think some regular time out with us to just relax and not worry about anything will be good for him.

Plus he’s just fun to be around, for a fourteen year old anyway :)

After that we went to a free showing of Night of the Living Dead, the 1968 version. Our new favorite movie theater, the Alamo Drafthouse, was playing it. We got there a couple hours early to make sure we got tickets so we killed some time by doing some more shopping and grabbing some dinner and some Starbucks for a pick me up. Then we just walked and talked and it was like we were teenagers again, dream out loud together about our perfect future.

 

Then it was zombie time! I hadn’t seen the movie, let alone this version and it was amazing! Might write a quick review of it for you later this week.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that after not having seen my family in a few weekends we are finally back to doing family day. Our schedules conflict so much and somebody is always sick or dealing with some kind of emergency and we end up going weeks without seeing each other. We do text a lot though and we interact on Facebook but it’s not the same. I miss seeing their faces.

I had better get going so I can get ready to head out and see them. I appreciate you stopping by to catch up and I hope your week was a good one. I’d like to hear about it either way in the comments :)

 

Featured image via Pexels

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If We Were Having Coffee – I’m Having a Pretty Good Summer So Far

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am loving my summer so far. Despite the intense heat, my allergies, and the crazy amount of mosquito bites I’ve gotten, this is definitely my favorite season of the year. This past week in particular was both a really, really good one, but also a bit of a bad one too.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the bad was mainly because of my job. My boss has decided that some of us should rotate working at other locations and this past week was my turn. I absolutely hated it. The main problem was there wasn’t really any work for me to do there. This doesn’t sound bad except I wasn’t allowed to work on personal projects either, including this blog. That means I was very, very bored for much of the time.

Of course I did sneak some writing in and worked on organizing my drafts and outlining more posts. I also got through a bunch of articles I had saved for tips, inspiration, and ideas. I still have a bunch more to get through but it was progress. I also set up Evernote to try to organize my thoughts better and downloaded the a new to-do app to remind myself of what writing needs to be done when.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that this upcoming year at work is going to be one where I focus more on me and my time then on work. I have already told my boss I am going to stop doing extra duties and I am going to work less hours. Thankfully, he is understanding.

I am working on getting a plan together before summer is over so that I can start making some money on the side and maybe, possible, hopefully, one day leave my day job. I want write a little book of essays, and maybe a book of advice for girls (inspired by my little sister), and start up my own Zine. I also have an idea for a cute, little web comic I’d like to put together.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the other reason this past week was a bit bad is because my swamp cooler is still out of commission. Every day my house feels like the inside of an oven. We are getting through it the best we can by using fans and blocking out our windows but there is only so much we can do. The heat gets in eventually and sits in the house until about 6 or 7 o’ clock at night when the cooler breeze begins to come in.

Luckily I found a place online that sells replacement parts for the model of swamp cooler I have and they arrived just this weekend. Now I just have to fix the damn thing and we should be good for the rest of the summer. I just hope it really will be as easy as I think it will, but if I’ve learned anything at all since owning a home it’s that no repair ever goes as fast or as easily as you think it will.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that this was also a really good week too. My girlfriend was off from work again and did a lot of work on the front yard. There is still a lot to do but she has made more progress than I ever could have and I am so proud of her. We will continue to work on it in the evenings this week and hopefully soon I will have a brand new, beautiful yard.

And we will be one step closer to being able to finally sell, or rent out, this place.

We have decided that as exciting as owning a single family home is, it is too much work and this is too much space. We want to find us a cute town home or condo instead. Something smaller that requires less work on our part and something in a better part of town would be really nice.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that we have also gotten to go out and let loose with our amazing friends more. One thing I love about this city is the summertime night life. The evenings are cool but still warm enough to be outside without a jacket. Every Friday and Saturday night here there is an exodus from the outer suburbs into the heart of Denver city where the bars line the streets and you can walk from one to another.

You meet new people every weekend and everyone is so friendly. It feels like the whole city is enjoying on big party together. There are rarely any big fights or problems, we all love our city and we all just want to have a good time.

Our friends have just been amazing. They’ve us new places and opened their homes to us. We have gotten to know them all well and it finally feels like I am among those lucky people who can say I have my own group of friends. People who enjoy my company and look forward to having me around. They have also offered to help us with house work, weeding planning, and just about anything else we need.

We are truly grateful to have them.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am very much hoping this coming week will be even better than the last. I’ll be back working at my usual location with all my friends. Plus we have my nephews birthday to look forward to on the 4th of July as well as the fireworks. I’m going to try to get some time by a pool in too. Then spending more time enjoying good drinks and good friends downtown.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am feeling good and I hope you are too. I hope your summer so far has been a good one and I hope it continues to be. I would tell you that, as always, I appreciate you stopping by, I enjoy our little coffee chats very much.

Until next time :)

Original image by Suzette – http://www.suzette.nu from Arnhem, Netherlands (Cologne/Keulen Summer ’09) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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If We Were Having (Iced) Coffee – It’s Pride Weekend and It’s Hot!

If we were having coffee I would probably be overly excited about seeing you. I haven’t gotten out of the house much and with my girlfriend having been out of town I had very little human interaction. So get ready for me to talk your ear off!

If we were having coffee I would tell you that it has been so f-in hot around here! Every summer since we have bought this house I have worked hard to fix up our very old, and very rusty, swamp cooler and every year I swear we will get a new one the next.

This year I tried to get a new one but the price for installation turned out to be much, much more than I had anticipated and much, much more than I have to spend. So instead I am buying replacement parts and fixing that damn thing up again.

The problem is shipping is taking too long and we might die of heat exhaustion before the parts ever get here, ugh!

And my poor dog just looks sad and sits in front of the fan while panting. To help her out and boost her mood I’ve been making her banana, carrot, peanut butter frozen treats. It helps.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that while I was on my own last week I actually did accomplish quite a bit. I got a ton of house work done and outlined a lot of future blog posts. I worked on learning more math and watched a bunch of awesome TED Talks and other educational and philosophical videos.

I didn’t watch one TV show or movie the whole week! I’m pretty proud of myself.

I feel like my brain got a makeover and I was able to build some new habits. Yesterday morning I woke up and my lady wanted to lay around and relax for awhile and watch some shows on Netflix. I tried to relax with her but I felt really antsy. I wanted to be writing, or cleaning, or learning something.

My theory is that not having TV leads to boredom, boredom leads to finding something to do so you don’t get depressed, finding something to do leads to feeling better than if you had just sat around and watched TV, feeling good leads to wanting to do more stuff that isn’t watching TV.

I highly recommend it.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that having a whole week off of work was quite an interesting experience. I didn’t miss my job at all but I did miss some of my friends and coworkers. A few of them text, or called, or chatted over Facebook with me, and it was nice to know that even though I wasn’t around I wasn’t forgotten. I can’t wait to see them all again.

Unfortunately, my boss has decided that me and the other trainers must rotate working at another location and next week is my turn. I’ll be on my own out there which means I’ll spend another week missing my buddies.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I almost forgot to tell you that this is PRIDE WEEKEND! I love, love, love, our PrideFest here in Denver. It’s a two day event but I usually only go on Sunday’s to catch the parade. The Friday and Saturday nights before are for partying though.

We have a neat little gay hamburger place here called Hamburger Mary’s that I went to Friday night. They have delicious piña coladas.

Saturday night I went to a couple of very packed gay bars. One was Charlie’s which was full of guys and another was X-bar which was full of women. We went with another gay couple, a straight couple, a couple of bi’s, and a straight girl. Quite a mix of people and their different reactions to the bars was interesting.

This morning we went back downtown and watched the parade and sat under a nice big shade tree to eat nachos. We took pictures and bought a few things for the dog and then headed home. It was way too hot out to stay any longer.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I had better go. I really do wish I could stay and chat longer but I have Father’s Day plan with my girlfriends family. I plan to see my own dad next week.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Happy Father’s Day and Happy Pride everyone.

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If We Were Having Coffee – Summer Colds Are The Absolute Worst

If we were having coffee I would ask you to please excuse my occasional cough and my hoarse voice, I am still getting over a nasty cold. I would recommend you not to sit too close. I don’t think I’m contagious anymore, and part of this is also due to sever allergies, but just in case, don’t breathe my air. Excuse me while I blow my very red and irritated nose.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that despite being sick I did have a pretty good week. My work load has lightened considerably since school is out and I am hoping that means more time for writing. In fact I am basically working part-time and I get a 3-day weekend every week now.

Normally I wouldn’t be happy about this at all. My new boss is a bit of an asshole and cut our hours but thankfully my girlfriend is one of my bosses too and happens to make enough money that we can afford for me to take the pay cut. She’s even kinda happy for me. She knows I want more “creative time” and she knows I will get some work done around the house.

On top of all that good news we also found out that because she didn’t take the required number of days off during the year she is going to get a week or two off this summer too! WIth pay! So now we have time to go out and do things. We already have a camping trip planned, and possibly a spa weekend or two in mind, plus a long weekend stay in one of the smaller towns around here in August.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the only bad thing about last week was how tired I was and how little I was able to do. I barely wrote anything and I didn’t get much done around the house either. I pretty much went from the bed to the couch and then back to bed again. I went to work when I had to and even then I took a ton of breaks and got next to nothing accomplished.

This coming week I know I have to get my shit together and I’m kinda stressing about it. I’ve had bad dreams about work and every day I wake up I feel like there is so much to do and I panic. I’m stressed out. I feel like I am going to let everyone down. Like I won’t get everything done when it needs to be and everyone will know I am not as good as they think I am.

Sorry, my deep seeded psychological issues are showing. I don’t respond very well when under pressure, not at first anyway. I need some time to panic and get down on myself before a plan comes to me and I accomplish everything with ease.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that this weekend was really nice. Me and my girlfriend are trying to do more things together this summer and one of my ideas was to join one of the Paint Drink Love events. They hold the events at different bars all over town and you get to drink while they provide you with some painting instruction and all the necessary supplies. We went to one yesterday at a small wine bar. We were the only ones who showed so we basically got our very own private painting lesson.

We plan to attend another one, or two, over the summer, along with all the movies I want to see, and the parks I want to go to, and the festivals I want to check out. This week we are going to a showing of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, one of the movies we like that everyone else seems to hate, at The Alamo Drafthouse. Not only are the showing this awesome film but they are paring it with what looks like a very interesting dinner.

If we were having coffee I would thank you for stopping by to check in with me. I hate to cut it short but I am fighting another coughing fit and I should probably get beck to bed. I am trying to get better as quickly as I can but I have only just quit smoking and the years of damage to my lungs and throat mean it takes me a lot longer to get over these chest colds than the average person.

Anyway, I do hope you had a good week and I hope this one is good to you too.

Image via https://flic.kr/p/uarChY

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Because You Feel Like Summer – A Pantoum

Because you feel like summer
Remembering you is to remember the sun
Against my skin
And I am warmed

Remembering you is to remember the sun
When I am cold inside
And I am warmed
Starting from my heart and out

When I am cold inside
And the loneliness fills me
Starting from my heart and out
You hold me tight

And the loneliness fills me
I fight against the warmth you give but
You hold me tight
Your love wins out

I fight against the warmth you give but
Against my skin
Your love wins out
Because you feel like summer

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Saying Goodbye to Summer

I work for a school district so, for me, summer ends tomorrow. School starts back up on Monday and that means I am back on a school bus tomorrow to practice my route.*

This is a hard time of year for me because summer is my favorite season. There is so much to do in the summer and everything looks so green and alive! There are water parks and amusement parks, there are festivals and events. Bar rooftops are open and nighttime temperatures are perfect for drinks and hanging out with friends. I am sad to see all that go. In the winter there is nothing to do but stay inside and try you best to keep warm.

Here in Colorado our winters last longer than our summers, and spring and fall are almost non-existent. I’m one of those people who needs sunny days and warm temperatures to feel happy. Seasonal affective disorder I think they call it. I get depressed around the same time every year, just as fall is hitting and when it gets bad it seems like winter will never end. By the time January rolls around I have given up emotionally. I start to feel like the cold and clouds will be there forever, and the warmth and the green will never come back.

I’m already preparing myself mentally for the leaves to start changing and everything to turn gray and cold. I am planning for coping with the cold and I even had a co-worker bring in a new space heater for us all. I will soon be buying a new coat and stocking up on hand and warmers. I hope the bus I will be in is sealed well and that the heaters work.

I long to live somewhere where the sun shines all year and the weather stays nice. I’ve heard Hawaii has nice weather all year-round, or maybe Southern California or Florida. One day I hope to be rid of snow and negative degree temperatures. No more shivering, no more cold, wet toes and no more runny noses!

So today I say goodbye to summer and hope that it doesn’t take too long to return again. I will try to remember all the fun I had this year and maybe the memories will warm my soul when the temperatures outside freeze my body.

*Just to clarify I work as a para-professional, or bus aid, not as a driver.