Season Anxiety

I am not a summer person.

You may release all your horrified looks, gasps of shock, and questions of, “But what about the beach?” right now.

In New Jersey, we are fortunate to be able to experience all four seasons. There are some who might disagree, but I love living in a state with ever changing scenery. Each season has a particular beauty about it, and of course, each season has its share of things to complain about.

As I sit in my living room, which is currently being cooled by a window air conditioner set at 70 with an energy saver function that never seems to click on (therefore it is quite cool in here), my thoughts land on how ready I am for the fall. Fall is my favorite season, and perhaps some time I will write about just how breathtaking New Jersey is in the fall.

With how hot the past few weeks have been in New Jersey (temps in the 90s with Jersey humidity to match) it’s hard not to start dreaming of cool afternoons, hot lattes, and snuggling under blankets. Some days, going out into a 90 degree world makes me want to stay inside stationed in front of the air conditioner. Other days it makes me want to cry, especially if I’m not headed for the pool. It isn’t much better inside because the roaring air conditioner is only a reminder that it is hot out. If that weren’t enough, my home seems to have been infested with crickets who think my pantry is an appropriate place for them to practice their chirping. This occurred, naturally, after an early summer mice infestation. (Yes, I exaggerate. It was one mommy and three babies and yes, they went to live on a nice farm in the country). I find myself counting down the days until the first day of fall (37 days to be exact) and excited at the thought of a week full of days with temperatures whose numbers start with ‘8’.

Though I prefer winter over summer, I find that towards the end of winter my sentiments are exactly the same as they are towards summer. I join the mothers of elementary aged children crying out, “No more snow days!” and people like my elderly neighbor who told me, “Enough of this, I’m moving to Florida”.

Yet somehow, someway, just as I think I can stand the heat no longer, or just as I think I’m going to freeze my nubbins off, the seasons change and everything is automatically better. In just a short amount of time, I know I’ll be grabbing a sweater on my way out the door, pulling out my UGG boots, and asking hubby to move the window units to the basement. Yet still it feels so far away.

Not to go super philosophical on you (actually, I don’t think I could do that if I tried), but waiting for the seasons to end is just like life. We face situations that feel like they will never end. But if we could only hold onto hope, just a moment longer, in that moment when we think we can stand it no more, somehow, someway, it gets better. It may not be perfect at first, a hot day might creep up on us, but it does eventually get better. To a point where we look back on whatever bothered us and marvel at how we managed to make it through.

So, whether it’s a season you are hoping for freedom from, or maybe it is a personal battle, remember a season will only last so long. Something fresh, something new is just around the corner.