Today, I am reveling in the return to my favorite season: summer. Today was hot. Tomorrow will be hot. The next day will be hot—even humid. It’s a warming trend, and I’m nearly giddy with enthusiasm. Maybe, if we are lucky, we’ll even see those famous triple h’s: hazy, hot and humid!
Yes, I know that I live in Vermont, and that Vermonters don’t particularly like hazy, really dislike hot and absolutely can’t stand humid. I think a whole bunch of people here would likely add one more “h” word whenever hazy, hot and humid come together. But, I love it. There are few days like this here. So I choose to fully enjoy them.
Listen, I do not make a point of writing about these glorious summer mornings when you know it’s going to be a scorcher. I don’t call people up to swoon about them. This is kind of me, truly. Because all October and November—and part of September and even August around here—there are a heck of lot of folks who chortle with delight about “sweater season” and “those crisp fall mornings.” I bite my tongue hard every time someone comes in, glowingly happy about putting on scarves and an “extra layer”.
For me, today’s return to heat is the “silver lining”.
We started down this path of quarantine, mask-wearing, cancellations and social distancing when it was cold. We’ve hunkered down, baked bread and watched endless hours of Netflix. We’ve stared at computer screens for hours on end. We’ve hiked—maintaining our separate spaces—around patches of snow and lingering ice, and through soggy fields where grass refused to green.
Today it feels like maybe we can see another side. Today it seems like a normal summer day. Today we can believe that there is a better, happier, sunshined-filled tomorrow.
I’m going with this thought.
And if you’re reading this when it is still “so hot” … please, just take one second and remember that we have worked to get to this point. Let’s all enjoy those rays of sunshine for a bit.