It’s the eve before my big move to Spain, and as I sit
here writing this I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am of course feeling all the
standard feelings: excitement, nervousness, happy, sad, etc. etc. However one
emotion that I wasn’t expecting to feel is appreciation. I find myself
relishing in appreciation for this past summer. This summer healed me; it gave
me exactly what I needed. It’s funny;
the universe always has a way of giving you exactly what you need when you need
it. And apparently the doctor prescribed a good ol’ fashion dose of summertime
fun and relaxation to heal everything up.
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of
leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that
familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
My life has began over, and
indeed it started with this summer. I came back home in April broken, and
exhausted, and yet somehow this summer has healed me. That first month I mostly
spent sleeping, hiding out from everyone and everything. However after that, after I regained my
footing, I started to be able to enjoy life again. Enjoying the simple things
of life in America with friends and family, and what better time does that happen
than summer??
It’s a familiar story;
we climb out of our cold isolated cocoons and give ourselves permission for a
few brief, hot months to have fun. Bike riding,
outdoor concerts, wine tasting, beach lazing, book reading, weddings, cook-outs,
train riding, picnic in the park-ing, mai tai mixing,
at-the-top-of-your-lungs-too-loud-singing: this is what the sweet, invincible
summer looks like to me.
This is what I have been doing, and its been one of
the best summers. I feel rejuvenated, and as this summer comes to a close I
feel that I am ready to move on to the new life summer has given me.
Family, friends, drinks, and sunsets. :-)
