When Summer Ends
“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
William Shakespeare
In a few days, May gives way to June, officially marking the end of summer. As the thought sinks in, a hint of sadness seems to creep into our hearts.
What is it about the end of summer that fills us with sadness? Is it because it lets the curtain fall with seeming finality on a season when time appears to be a luxury we can afford? Is it because it heralds the coming of the rainy season that spells gloom and melancholy for the most part? Or is it perhaps because it thrusts most of us into that maddening and frantic pace as another school year starts? Whatever the reason, there’s something about summer that when it departs leaves us yearning for something more.
It is a time when dreams and hopes are re-visited. Signals the end of a long vacation. Provides respite from the killer pace
No other season probably frees our spirit more or brings us closest to our true selves than summer. It is the welcome pause, the break in our stride that provides respite from the killer pace that characterizes most of our days. It is the brief interlude when we remember life’s simple but lasting joys and try to fill our days with them. We let ourselves loose, allowing our masks to fall, as we eagerly reach out to embrace the season’s joys.
Summer is a magical time. Feeling young and carefree, we soak in all that is healthy for our bodies: early morning sunshine, water, and clean air. And we savor all that is good for our souls: friendship, love, tears and laughter. We don our swimsuits and sarongs, put on sunscreen, shades and our havianas, then gleefully abandon ourselves to the elements. We frolic in the sea and on the sand. We feast on ice cream cones, popcorn and cotton candy, grilled hotdogs and barbecues. Like little children, we discover new places, roam festive arcades, fly kites, and conquer our fears on ferris wheel and rollercoaster rides. We delight in nature’s panoramic vistas, in boat rides and moonlit strolls, in the scent of magnolias, and in the festive mood that fills the air. We make time for getaways with friends and loved ones, re-kindling and deepening the ties that bind. We feel less acutely the worries and cares that normally plague us. Sometimes, even momentarily, they are forgotten. We come alive. Our smiles grow wider, our laughter sounds richer and our hearts sing. As we bare more of our flesh, we find ourselves feeling vulnerable, because we succeeded in baring more of our souls, too.
Because summer is also a time when we contemplate and mark where we are in our life’s journey. As the insulation that protects our personal lives wears thin during the long vacation, we catch honest glimpses of our real selves. We come face to face more easily with all that is unresolved and unfinished. We look back on the New Year and see how many of our dreams and resolutions we have fulfilled and kept. We look forward to the end of the year to see how much time we have left to fulfill what we haven’t. We spring clean not just our homes but also the many corners of our hearts where dreams lay shattered. And with more time on our hands than usual, we grapple with life’s deeper questions: How far have we come in our journey? Are we on the right path? Will we get to the future that we have been shaping?
Summer is a season of discovery and renewal – giving birth to countless dreams, giving life to great stories. That is probably why we are tempted to cling to it as it leaves us. We will miss it because it never fails to remind us of all that is good in life and all that we overlook and neglect for the most part of the year. It reminds us of our youth and that time when the sun seems to shine a little brighter, the moon’s glow a little softer, the night’s darkness, just like our memories, a little more friendly and forgiving. It is that time when we seem to be most vibrantly alive, fearless and free. And so we balk as June starts knocking. We fear that its heavy rains and thunderstorms will lay waste not just the garden but will once again throw us into mental and emotional turmoil, leaving us physically spent. We recoil from the bedlam that another school year would surely bring. We cringe at the thought of being stuck once again in routine and the mundane. But we need not cling to summer. We can let it go yet keep it alive in our hearts as we honor life and celebrate its pure joys and small victories. We can keep it alive as we free our minds, keep the connection and stay close to our core. We need not fear its end because it marks but a passage into another season that is also meant to teach us more about our selves and our lives, bringing us closer to home.