Bon Arrivee … Yes, it is back, that big season of daytime fun and evenings of amusement. So, shake off that bored look and slip in a carefree summertime mood. What can possibly be more refreshing than an all-free day-long sauna?
What can keep you company at night than good old humidity? And the fear de jour: do I smell? Is it already time to slip to the bathroom and re-apply yet more deodorant? Admit it, the season is simply an all-inclusive package of delight?!
A little something for everyone!
Summer is the officially pronounced best time of the year to most, correction, to all kids in school. The pampering luxury of vegging out all night in front of the TV, not having to wake up to the gruesome sirens of an alarm in taxing hours every morning, and spending your entire day as you please is insatiably pleasurable. To most men, summer is the time their eyes thrive on for the rest of the year. Scantily-clad women leisurely hanging around is indeed eye-candy. For women, things are not so clear-cut. Granted, it is fun to slip into tank tops, jeans and flip-flops and bang, you’re ready to go. But the thought of having to get fit for swimwear could be pretty painful to many. However, if you are a plan-ahead kind of person and you have invested so much of your time at the gym throughout winter and summer, you’ll be eagerly looking forward to get paid for your days of sweat and tears. For you, summer will be a time for strutting in bared midriff, miniskirts and high-heels.
The not-so-cool side of summer…
The picture could be pretty different for people in other walks of life. For many work-from-home individuals, summer may not be their most thriving season. With kids hovering all over the place, practically all the time, creating as much racket as no human being could possibly tolerate, who would dream of getting any work done? If you have to listen to Dexter-and-Didi-like rows all day long, better kiss those productive days goodbye. For families, who have to suffer the two-fold challenge of having kids and having a limited-income, summer is most definitely the most deafening, ear-splitting, uproarious season with kids altercating and squabbling for out-of-town vacations. The pains of working out how to cover the damages of a few days in the north coast are a stinging affliction. A five-day, four-nighter in any summer resort up north or in some posh hotel in Alex could go well beyond 15k Egyptian pounds.
And when the night sets in…
Nights at summer are a double –edged weapon. The cool breeze at night is a heaven for blistered morning sufferers. Late night strolls to get ice cream is one of the simple ever-so-popular joys of life. Boisterous get-togethers till some late hour are gleeful events that we later recall as we shudder under warm blankets on cold winter nights. After-dinner tea and cake on the patio is unparalleled. But alas, summer nights can also be insomnia nights, as we restlessly turn and roll over in hot sticky beds, like bagels getting heated in an oven. What is even more exasperating is when you decide to take a late shower to help you sleep, and wind up sweating like crazy while getting dressed. If you prefer blow-drying your hair, you might like to consider blow-drying your sweat, as well.
Summer in retro….
Historically, summer has never been a favorable time. In ancient times, Egyptians believed that summer heralded bad food, listlessness and disease. In modern times, the expression “dog days of summer” is frequently heard in many occidental cultures. The phrase has its origins in the ancient Greek culture, where the dog refers to Sirius, the alpha star in the constellation Canis Major. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, which was believed to increase the heat of the sun, thus scorching the earth.
Summer pardoned…
In modern popular culture, however, summer has grown more popular.
“A life without love is like a year without summer.” ~ A Swedish proverb.
“In summer, the song sings itself.” ~ William Carlos Williams.
“Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer’s year – it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul.” ~Author Unknown.
More importantly, popular culture is out to convince us that our mood pretty much shapes the way we sense seasons of the year:
“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” ~Celia Thaxter
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ~Albert Camus
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” ~Anton Chekhov
Have your summer tailor-made…
The weather forecast has next to nothing to do with whether we are grateful or grumpy. We are the makers of our own mood. A quick snack of water melon and white cheese can make our afternoon. A delightful chatty evening over a couple of ice teas can be just as refreshing as a trip to Paris. It could be muggy, sticky and hateful. But you are not the sole victim. It is so easy to slip in the loops of the theory of conspiracy. It is nothing personal. It’s just as the popular tune goes, “Hot town, summer in the city”!