Lamenting the End of Summer
Back to school is almost here at my house. Another week and it’s over. Six glorious days left of no alarms. No bedtimes (not really - bedtime is still enforced) and no wake-up calls. Teachers are back in the classroom, putting the final touch on lessons plans, and making sure everything is ready for the big day. Parents are headed to the stores to get school supplies, and kids are squirming and whining that summer is almost over while secretly yearning to return because they’re sooooo boooored.
What’s a writer to do?
Write. That’s what. My son is back and forth between our house and the neighbor’s. Kids come squealing through my front door and then back out. I’m snagging bites of lunch in between jotting down notes for a new scene, writing a blog post, and making sure no one ends up bloody or broken as they jump and flip on the trampoline.
It’s chaos. It’s loud and distracting, and as much as I am looking forward to school starting in six days, I will miss this when it’s back to the normal grind. Why?
Little bits of imagination are scattered throughout my house right now. They are left over from the hours spent pretending to be cats. Building tracks and racing marbles while commentating about who is in the lead, Major Glass or Glitter Ball Three. Jumping through an obstacle course made of stuffed animals and pillows while yelling that the floor is lava!
Legos and blocks and various other bits are scattered around my kitchen and living room, and I have no intention of enforcing the ‘pick up after yourself’ rule because they are works in progress. I’ve watched as what started as a small Lego house became a mansion. A tiny robot became a giant. A single cottage became a village. Sure, it’s in the way. Sure, it’s like stepping on hellfire when one of those Lego bricks escapes its captivity and finds its way onto the carpet. But, it’s also a sign of imagination running rampant.
Noises erupt along with bits of random made up songs. Laughter and fits of giggles echo from the bedroom. It’s all part of the madness that is summer. They’ve turned boxes into boats and spaceships. Became turtles and raced through the living room. Played freeze tag while running through the sprinklers. Had nerf gun wars and water pistol shoot-outs. Tramped down to the river to cool off. Ridden bikes to the store to buy ice cream. Slept under the stars on the trampoline. Watched a solar eclipse. Dreamed. Hoped. Played. Laughed. Made memories.
That’s what summer is for.
In six days, my house will go back to being silent with only the click of my mouse, the tap of my keyboard, and the forlorn meows of lonely cats to shatter the quiet. I will go back to being semi-anti-social as I hole up for winter and write. And as lovely as the silence is, I will still miss the loud distraction of summer.
So enjoy eeking out the last few days of summer. I’ll be over here in the sunshine with my laptop watching the kids as they become dinosaurs and destroy the village.
What are your favorite parts about summer? Leave it in the comments.
Happy Writing!
