Really, how can summer not be a time to enjoy?
Only, knowing how is half the battle; surviving is the other.
For those who are stuck in a work-race maze, if you’ve got such thing as a weekend, or even a piece of one (call it a Monday if you want), get thee to liquid.
Just don’t take your watch. Put the phone away. Make a date with the disconnect while you still can do it on your own terms. Really…leave it all behind.
When you find yourself regretting that you’ve had to come back, don't be afraid to let yourself really feel that melancholic moment and allow yourself to smile.
Smile? Yes, because that feeling is a sign that you’ve been doing it right.
There’s a world out there to get lost in, whether river, stream, waterfall, or wave. And you might want to bring some snorkeling gear or whatever.
When the waves are flat, you really can live in the dead calm. Have a look around and maybe even find...
....lunch (or dinner)… a little extra to throw on the barbecue (or hobo stove). If you’re not adept at building fires, the gas canisters are cheap. No excuses…really.
Spouse's appendage and what was brought from the river... |
...to the plate |
....lunch (or dinner)… a little extra to throw on the barbecue (or hobo stove). If you’re not adept at building fires, the gas canisters are cheap. No excuses…really.
Or from the ocean's tidepools |
This summer thing is funny. The more you do it, the better you get at it. A daypack and maybe an ice-chest is all you need, if that. Hammock, towel, sunscreen…you don’t need much. Remember, it’s never about the room you are staying in:
...location... |
Heck, you should be sleeping under the stars! You still remember what those are, don't you?
On 'The Rock', you can camp just about anywhere you want without having to worry about Homeland Security. The only thing you might want to be prepared for is that fool-shock feeling:
“Why the hell don’t I do this more often?”
...location. |
So pick up your stuff.
Grab and go.
That’s right.
Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to be caught in a squall. Hear that thunder as it rolls in and even maybe be able to smell the charged, dry air as the electrical storm moves closer. Oh, to hear the rolling waves of heaven's rage drown out the anticipation of a whispered thunder count.
If you’re lucky enough, you might not be able to get past “one” and actually find yourself in the middle of that immortal rumble and get a chance to really experience the echoing sound of the heavens cracking open. Nothing to do but take it all in. Relax, listen, and sit still until the earth, water, and sky decide to take their ageless argument elsewhere.
Or, if you’re feeling like tempting fate (like someone almost did) and really wanting to know what the gods are saying, you can always run down the beach into the flurry dressed in nothing butt your birthday suit. Because no one in their right mind will be dancing out there beneath the lightening, ‘cept maybe some other fool (but I doubt it).
Summer is a time to get out and play so hard that you literally find yourself happily aching to fall asleep while not having the energy to care about a thing.
How you play is up to you.
The way to know if you’re really doing it right is to feel the buzz without having to cut a deal with the ferment of ale and not get drafted into the wounded ranks of beer heroes.
How you play is up to you.
The way to know if you’re really doing it right is to feel the buzz without having to cut a deal with the ferment of ale and not get drafted into the wounded ranks of beer heroes.
Meet the Mrs. |
Really. While sober, have you ever felt inspired enough to run and jump naked through the flames of a beach fire before chasing a fluorescent tide out into night's black velvet waters?
Live a little...while you can.
And be respectful, always. That’s what the extra bag is for. You see, almost anywhere you go, there’s bound to be something someone left behind…there always is. If you can’t see it, you’re just not looking hard enough. Pack out more than you bring in as a way of ‘saying thanks’. Make it part of your ritual.
Summer is for being out in the elements and becoming one with the universe, be it through nature or your partner(s). Summer is for whatever it is you decide to do in the heat of your moments. The rancid smell of a broken heart is sweeter than any untouched pile of loneliness I've ever stepped in.
Hot-and-steamy season is not for the lonely. Nothing beats that drowsy feeling just before fading off to the sound of two spent hearts as they are swallowed into the intoxicating darkness of summer heat.
There’s a place and time for everything.
And the time is summer.
Are you ready to find your place?
And the time is summer.
Are you ready to find your place?
No, the heat of summer is not a curse.
And with that:
Ah..beaches are my "Mana" places. Where I can recharge...I musta been a fish...I'm under the sign of Cancer. Always felt comfort near the water.
ReplyDeleteFor me...sleeping on top of a very large rock, under the sun, after swimming in a river. For me, the ocean is kind of new in this way...never to late to learn.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Great addition to the matsuri Will. Thanks for doing this man!!! Felt cooler just reading and getting it (-;
ReplyDeleteloco
Loco: Though I tend to worry about being 'too late' with editing, I'm glad you were still able to feel cool and get it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for giving me the opportunity to bring this to the partay...
when I read this, I was thinking... this should be on Loco's matsuri... never too late to realize I was too late to realize.
ReplyDeleteBigg: Your 'Something Old, Something New' was also part of the inspiration. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAh you have rekindled my love affair with summer. I'm getting out and enjoying the sun next chance I get. And there's nothing like a warm summer night.
ReplyDeleteA warm summer's night...no, nothing ever quite like it. Thanks for dropping by Jskool.
ReplyDeleteI was at the river today :) I'm so freakin' thrilled were at the ..please God....tail end of the rainy season cuz that river is deaaaadly right now. The rain runoff needs to drain.
ReplyDeleteNice. Yesterday was spent in transit (as well as last night). Would have rather been in the water.
ReplyDeleteSpending it in the womb of my desire.
ReplyDeleteDeep...
ReplyDelete