by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)
It started with a song.
I was in my truck heading to or from work (I don’t remember) and my phone was on random play and suddenly a thought struck me when ‘Magic’ by The Cars started playing. The opening line is about Summer… then it occurred to me… Summertime is Funtime!
Remember that? No, not how Ric Ocasek looks alot like Kurt Harland, but Summer. Summer was the BEST time of the year. Right next to Christmas day. Back when I was in school, Summer was like 3 months long (I swear) and you basically forgot EVERYTHING you learned the year before and had to start all over when class reconvened in September.
Summer meant:
- NO SCHOOL
- VACATIONS
- LAZING ABOUT ALL DAY
That’s what it meant to a kid/teen anyway. As I have grown up and (like many and or most) I look for meaning in things. Ever searching for that golden ‘thing’ that makes you feel good and sticks with you when most everything else just simply un-impresses you.
I feel like taking a moment to consider what Summer means to me (mainly a collection of memories, tropes, and minutiae) I can find Summer a lasting, memorable event that fills the requirements for a ‘thing’. Does that make sense? Can I simplify it by using the phrase ‘a fan of’ to make it any clearer? For many, Football or some such other sport gives people that feeling… it’s their ‘thing’. Disney Parks is one of my ‘things’… an amusement park that has given me good memories, tropes, and that mini-usha-thing. It has coalesced into something that makes my brain give off the good chemicals. I think Summer should be in there too.
That’s what this 2019 Summer Blog series is going to be all about. Digging up those memories, looking/listening to, and pointing out all the fun that Summer means and putting it out there so we can all get our brains pumping endorphins when it comes to the hottest time of the year!
Chris ran with it, but jumped the gun a bit. I am basing the series on Saturday, June 1st as the start of summer (since it is the day after the last day of school for Fort Worth, Texas ISD). Let’s face it, the number one great thing about Summer has always been… NO SCHOOL! Woo hoo! Sure, I’ve been out of school since 1992 but who cares! “School’s Out For Summer!”