I think I’m in denial.
I looked at the calendar today when I got into work, and was shocked that it was the end of August. That can’t be right, can it?
The end of summer always leaves me melancholic. I know part of that is because I always seem to end up having to move at the end of the summer (that’s a story for another column), but there’s always the feeling of missed chances as the end of August rolls around.
I actually did a lot this summer. I got to travel a bit on the Island, got to go camping more than once, got to ride my bike a whole lot, saw some family, ate a lot of ice cream, and did a lot of swimming in open water, and even got to host a bike group ride event — which I’ve never done before — all of which were on my summer to-d0 list. Still though, I feel like I didn’t have enough time to do everything.
I really try to make the most of my summers. I try to get out and be active every chance I get. I feel like I need to squeeze as much activity out as I can while it’s warm, or else I’ll miss out and be stuck inside for weeks through never-ending rain.
Summer always starts with such big plans. There’s the feeling of possibility, that anything is possible and that this year is actually going to get the elusive honour of being the “best summer ever.” The beginning of summer feels like the song “The Boys and Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy, just an overwhelmingly positive and optimistic sense that nothing was going to go wrong.
Now, it’s more like “Boys of Summer” by Don Henley: a bit more nostalgic, wondering if the good times will continue now that it’s getting cooler, looking back on and missing the summer that I didn’t quite have.
Or did I have it? I’m not sure to be honest.
I’m sure this feeling comes from the fact that for most of my life I’ve been in school. I’m 29-years-old, which means that 75 per cent of my summers started in July and ended in September. I’m still not quite used to the idea that I can still do things all year round, especially living on the Island. Maybe I’ll start realizing that since I’m an adult, I can really enjoy myself any time of the year, even if it’s not in the traditional “summer” months.
We’re lucky enough to live on Vancouver Island, where I’ve been able to ride my road bike on New Years Day, where we get a few weeks of snow if that, and where the shoulder seasons are almost as amazing as full summer.
The time is coming for crunchy leaves, pumpkins, scary movies, soup, Gilmore Girls (my partner got me hooked) and crisp fall bike rides, which are honestly my favourite kinds.
So maybe things aren’t so bad after all.
marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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