Everyone talks about how short the summer has been and how they can’t believe August is already over. As a person whose summer has dragged and feels like August was nine weeks long, I am so excited to write these words:
Welcome September!
I tolerate summer. I don’t enjoy it no matter how hard I try. It’s an annoying season and, at times, oppressive. It’s too humid and hot to actually enjoy the outdoors. People I know who say they love summer don’t spend nearly enough time out in it to justify actually liking it.
The humidity makes my straight hair curl and frizz in ways that I don’t approve the minute I walk outside . Summer clothes are ugly. Plus, because the days are longer we are expected to keep pace with the sun and be active longer so as not to waste day light.
What’s worst though is that I do suffer from Summer SAD. It’s the same as the kind of seasonal depression others experience in the winter only mine is because there is too much light. I can feel this loosening its grip a little more every day and I look forward to the more balanced days of September and October.
In southern Ohio, September is still very much summer but it’s usually less intense than August.
So, bring on September with its cooler mornings and somewhat more moderate days. Hello to the month that gives us fresh apples, pumpkin spice and an excuse to indulge in all things maple. Let’s all breathe a little better with humidity levels starting to recede. Let’s stand in the woods and drink in the smells and sights as leaves begin to turn and as the start of Fall approaches.
It comes but once a year and I will rejoice!
The photo above is from last year at this time on Presque Isle in Lake Erie. That place is a little slice of paradise if you ever get to visit.
If you’ve spent much time here at Make the Journey Fun, you know that I’m no fan of summer. Southern Ohio is humid and hot and my internal thermostat runs warm so I mostly complain while running from one air conditioned spot to another. Summer in Ohio tends to start a little earlier and last a little longer almost every year so I’m perpetually angry that fall is so warm and that spring is over seemingly in a flash.
It occurrs to me that the days of our lives and the number of seasons we have in this life are limited. Yet I spend about half the year annoyed by a season. How wasteful is that? Since learning last year that there is such a thing as Summer Seasonal Affective Disorder, I have been contemplating ways to deal with it all and make summer more tolerable.
Yesterday I met a friend for a walk at the lake. It began raining the minute I got out of the car but we went on with umbrellas, enjoying an empty trail and a nice breeze off the lake as a steady rain made puddles before our eyes.
She and I talked about how much we enjoyed rain as children and how it didn’t deter our outdoor plans. We just went out and splashed in the puddles and played anyway.
Do kids do that sort of thing these days?
I held my umbrella off to one side just a bit so the cool rain could hit my bare arms. There was a light breeze that made for a truly comfortable and pleasant outdoor experience despite the rain.
Or perhaps because of it.
The shower did eventually move through and the humidity set in, causing my glasses to steam up as it became increasingly jungle-like. That was less fun and made me glad for the AC on the car ride home.
I have been working on a list of ways I can embrace summer or at least not hate it so much. It’s a short list but I’ll keep working on it.
The strategy that I seem to be leaning toward is to accept that it’s miserable outside and that I’m going to sweat and that I’m not going to enjoy it but to have things to look forward to once I can get in out of the heat.
Haha. I know. That’s probably not the best strategy but it’s a start.
For example, I’m going to buy some truly delicious smelling body wash for great showers after long, hot hikes. Then there are cold treats like watermelon, sugar free popsicles and water. Hydration is vital and it feels like a treat on a hot day.
Then there are preventative acts like accepting there will be mosquitos and preparing for them. Embracing the sun hat and hiking early or late will make the day better. And, of course, there are strategies for enjoying the indoors like going to the movies, choosing a summery scent to make my house smell good, and even spending time at home feathering my nest.
Road trips with the rock and roll turned up will be fun too.
The good news is that I have a sturdy sense of JOMO. The Joy Of Missing Out is strong in yours truly. Everyone else can enjoy their midday frolics on the beach and backyard barbeques when it is too humid to breathe. Good for them!! I’ll be inside a cool movie theater or home sipping ice water.
I do have some homework. I need to find some recipes for cool foods and want to look for a few summer clothes that I don’t hate. And I do hate them all. Women’s summer clothes tend to be made cheaply and often are extremely unbecoming. This is a project for another day.
The point is that I want to keep growing my list and working my strategies with hopes that I can make peace with this season that I dread so much. I don’t want to spend the entire season asking if it’s fall yet. I want to appreciate each day for what it is and be happy about it.
Each day is what we make of it so pardon me while I get busy making my days what I want them to be!
The transition of winter into spring is the hardest seasonal transition for me. It’s no secret that I have learned to appreciate winter or that I truly enjoy the aspects of the season so many view as hardships.
Southern Ohio today is enjoying what I like to call Stage I Fool’s Spring. It looks nice but the air still has a bite.
From where I sit, warm light streams through the window, casting sprays of light ideal for a little black cat’s peaceful sleep. He’s luxuriating in a large sunny spot right now. The sky is blue and birds abound. Pine trees sway in a slight breeze. It looks like a beautiful, warm day.
In reality, it’s 26 degrees at this moment and less hospitable outside than here on the couch. But if you dare to go outside for a lungful of clean air, you might find that early spring bulbs are pushing through the ground. The March Peepers I so enjoy gave their first nightly chorus on Friday. These little frogs are the brave souls who are the traditional harbingers of spring year after year but their February 28 appearance seemed early.
These things are all lovely.
But I truly like the snow and cold and, as I muck through my muddy back yard to reach the birdfeeders, I wonder if I have seen my last snowfall for the year. There’s an old wive’s tale there will be three more snows after the forsythia blooms but those snows could be mere flurries.
The sense that earth is beginning to warm and the days are growing longer makes me feel anxious. After all, what is to come will be miserably hot and humid. Summer in Ohio is just sticky and gross and it drags on for months. Spring here lasts for a short time as summer crowds in a little earlier than it ought to and hangs on later every year.
For those of us who sunburn and who don’t breathe well in humid conditions, this is not a time for celebration. It’s a time for planning to be outside early and late and for indoor time during midday.
I would never survive life in the south where I know conditions are even worse. Yes, yes. I know I sound weird and pathetic but it’s a true problem that seems to worsen as I age.
After years of being berated and bullied for my seasonal preferences by people who suffer Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), it turns out I’m neither alone nor an anomaly.
There is such a thing as Summer SAD. Just like Winter SAD, symptoms include irritability, suicidal thoughts, sadness and insomnia.
Who knew?
Little research has been directed to Summer SAD and tips I’ve read for how to cope are more or less useless. Yet, there’s something reassuring about knowing I’m not just a weirdo.
It’s time to begin brainstorming and making lists of ways to tolerate (and hopefully enjoy) what’s ahead. Do you struggle with symptoms of Summer SAD? I would love to hear about your experiences and tips.
