The other night as I was flying down the gravel roads on my way home I saw the first firefly of the summer season. The sunroof in my car was wide open, the setting sun had turned the sky bright pink behind the storm clouds off in the west, and I had even put on some country music for the ride. However, it wasn’t until I noticed the firefly, with one tiny yellow blip of light, that I thought summer is coming.
Artifacts of summer are universal, and because there are only a couple weeks of school left, it’s time to remind ourselves just what it is that alerts us summer is here.
Fireflies
No matter what your age is, you will never be too old to stand barefoot in damp grass, chasing bugs that light up every ten seconds.
They’re basically the most summer-esque thing out there.
Fireworks
Baseball games. Fourth of July. County and state fairs. The only other time you see fireworks is on New Year’s Eve, but even then it’s just for one night. Fireworks bless the sky at least once every week in the summer, reminding you that life gets pretty magical when the weather warms up.
Actual fire
I’m sensing a fire theme here.
In all seriousness, though, after a long day of swimming and corn hole, what’s better than sitting around a fire pit with a drink and some friends and family?
Baseball
It’s the American pastime and whether or not you’re into sports, you probably have a team to cheer for.
On a hot day in the middle of July, there are few things I would rather do besides kick back and watch a good baseball game.
Swimming
It’s a given. The ocean, the lake, the kiddie pool in your back yard or the local pool all the neighborhood kids are peeing in. Swimming is never a bad choice when it’s one hundred degrees and sunny.
Barbecues
Fire up the grill, grab a beer, turn on the game and get cooking. The backyard barbecue is quite possibly the greatest invention ever, aside from tailgating.
Stacks of ribs and burgers, lemonade and home-brewed ice tea, bowls of watermelon, the whole shebang. It’s glorious.
Even if you have a summer job, take summer classes, or go away for a summer camp, the months between May and September are some of the most wonderful months of the year. So as you sit around today, affected by the warm weather and knowledge that freedom is on the horizon, remember that when that last final is taken and the last essay is turned in, it’s finally time to grab the hammock, string it up in the backyard, and watch the fireflies light up the night as they welcome you once again to summer.
