It’s here.
Summer, that is.
We have mixed feelings about that.
Summer is watermelons and swimming pools and home-grown tomatoes and the scent of freshly mowed lawns.
We like that about Summer.
Yet Summer is also the time of being ganged up on by the twins terrors of heat and humidity. It is a time when playground equipment is too hot to play on, a time when grief counselors are standing by as you open your electric bill.
Other seasons in this part of the world come and go, sometimes too soon. Summer overstays his welcome.
You drop subtle hints. “My, just look at the time!” you say. Summer just sits there with a blank expression on his sunny face. (Yes, Summer is male. We know this by his clueless insensitivity).
In another month, kids will be going back to school for the, uh, “fall.” Do you think Summer gets the hint? Of course not.
Oh, he might get up and stretch his legs a bit along about September and might take a step or two toward the door. But it’s all a ruse and a cruel one at that.
So, since Summer is here, and he ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, we should prepare ourselves accordingly
We are not entirely powerless. There are things we can do. There are also things we should not do.
First, we should not just give in and let Summer push us around.
While it might be tempting to seclude ourselves in doors, with only the air-conditioner to keep us company, that serves no good purpose.
First, in doing so, we deprive ourselves on the good things that Summer has to offer.
The world of nature flourishes in the heat. Tomatoes grow fat and juicy under the sun. Flowers burst into defiant bloom. The world slows down on a summer afternoon.
Avoiding Summer won’t make him go away. In fact, it only emboldens him — like that boorish person you meet at a party who follows you around the room once he gets an idea that he’s getting on your nerves.
No, the best policy is to never let him see you sweat, in a manner of speaking. Embrace the moment, endure every outrage. Resist.
Finally, there are a few things we should be careful to do.
First, drink water. Not sodas, not beer, not even — and we realize this is heresy in this part of the world — sweet tea. Nothing takes the place of water in the Summer. It’s is nature’s antidote.
Second, take precautions against the sun. That means wearing a hat and keeping as much of your skin covered as comfort permits when you plan to be outdoors for any length of time.
It also means using sun screen. Of all the cancers, melanoma — most often caused by exposure to the sun’s harmful rays — is the most preventable.
Finally, don’t only watch out for yourselves, but look out for your neighbors, especially the older folks and the poor. Check in on them. See how they are doing. Offer help.
Summer won’t be here forever, we know.
It will just seem like it.
Might as well make the best of it.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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