Summertime: Once More with Feeling!

Having a hobby define my terms and definitions (along with feelings) of summertime is, at the very least, difficult not to mention an understatement. My hobby, if I were so to choose one, would just be the clear and precise aspect of being outdoors and in the warm sunshine. Growing up in the Washington area, with rain scattering throughout for a good nine to ten months of the year, it's difficult to enjoy the outdoors coupled with sunshine. Granted, it's not that difficult to go hiking or running or even barbecuing in the clouds and cool air that this region so often brings, but the sunshine adds an element of peace, even I would go as far to say it's an element of serenity, to the outing.

Throughout my life I've lived alongside a mobile home that resides over a river that endangers us simply because of the potential for overflowing due to dam releases. The sunshine is not only a welcome sight to our own personal safety, but it's a place where we can 'extend,' for lack of a better term, our comfort zone. The neighborhood hasn't barbecued nearly as much as we used to, gone to the lake, or even ventured throughout the country with our friends. It's heartbreaking to realize that those specific memories have a very realistic possibility of being just that, as we're all growing up with responsibilities, and in some cases, families of our own. However, the sunshine not only adds a smile to my face along with a feeling of relaxation, but it also rekindles fond memories of youthful and experimental days; such days would involve traveling into unknown areas, playing in the park, and overall just being active during the day. It's unfortunately a lost art, one that I don't plan to relinquish anytime soon.

Nowadays, I try to stay active in every which way I can, whether that would be inside at a gym or outside running on the trails, but lest I never forget that the sunshine is always a motivator in what I know, for better or for worse. It's not easy letting go of the commonalities that I used to share with former really good friends and folks, but the sunshine lets me hang on to the memories and leaves me with the possibility that maybe, just maybe, those days will come back to what they once were.