I’m missing the sun.
If you’ve been in Britain over this summer, you’ll know it lasted two weeks in June and then left the party early. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe seems to be having heatwaves and record temperatures. Not to complain, but I feel like we’ve been shortchanged and it’s really impacted my experience of the summer.
Maybe it’s a lack of vitamin D – we never got far enough out of the seasonal depression weather to get the serotonin kick-started again. The chemicals our brains need to function well just haven’t had the opportunity for their usual reactions and so we haven’t felt the same in ourselves as in previous summers.
Along with that, due to the lack of sun and warmth, a lot of the usual summer activities have been rainchecked. Where you might go for picnics or head down to a beach, there’s less point if it’s already grey and you’re going to need to take a jumper too. Instead, it’s easier to opt for inside activities that don’t rely on a lack of rain, and have the insulation of at least four walls keeping some warmth in. But perhaps these activities that have been neglected are also the ones that bring me the most joy. Things like eating ice cream, hanging out with friends, lying in the sun doing nothing, stimulate us in ways that aren’t so common in winter. Sure, we have other seasonal foods and snacks, as well as things to do, but doing them for twelve months solid becomes repetitive and overdone. We need the variation of summer things to give the winter things a chance to become exciting again.
For me, it’s also been the first summer where I’ve had a proper full-time job. Yes, I have had jobs in past summers, but they’re usually very flexible or looking after kids, so just playing games and being outside. There’s never been a nine-to-five (or eight-thirty to four-thirty) or an office requiring attention and some level of focus. It’s a transition from being in your early twenties to mid-twenties – you now have actual responsibilities that can’t be put off for a season. (Of course, for different people, this transition may come earlier or later in life and probably depends a lot on your wealth and opportunities in life).
In Italy, the 15th August is Ferragosto. When I was living there, no one was entirely sure why it was a national holiday – essentially their version of a bank holiday. However, one theory was that originally it was a chance for farmers to have one day of rest in the busy harvest season. On that day, they’d be able to relax and enjoy the hot weather as opposed to working hard and sweating because of it. Over time, other industries and workforces jumped on the trend, not only taking Ferragosto off but extending that to take a couple of weeks or even the entire month off as Ferie. It means all the nice independent restaurants or bookshops or businesses will likely be closed for the period, everything going at a slower pace and embracing the chance to spend time with family and take a holiday.
Maybe there’s a hidden reason why all the Italians wanted to join in with Ferragosto. Maybe it’s a part of the human condition that feels like a sunny day is wasted spent doing ordinary things like working. Maybe on the other side of that, a summer full of grey days also feels wasted – like there was never a true opportunity to enjoy it, regardless of whether a holiday was taken or if it was spent with family.
With no promise of heat or sun on the horizon, I guess it makes sense to me why some people have already dived headfirst into pumpkin spice season and prepped for Halloween or other autumnal events. Yet, I feel like we need to pace ourselves with these things more than ever – it’s going to be a long winter and starting it earlier isn’t going to make it pass sooner. Potentially, it could be that some people actually prefer autumn to summer (I’m not one of those people), but for those of us who don’t necessarily, we may need to find new and creative ways to embrace the season we’re in. If we can’t eat ice creams and sit outside in minimal clothing, we can’t just skip to the next available season – we need new summer activities that account for greyness and jumpers, otherwise, we’ll get bored of autumn before it even starts.
This might just be me complaining, especially after having such a glorious summer weather-wise last year. But I think there is something intrinsically different about a summer in the grey that needs to be addressed if we want to make it through the rest of the year without feeling like we missed out on part of it. It could be as superficial as the sun, or the activities, or something else entirely. I just know I’m not ready for autumn yet because my soul feels like it’s still yearning for a summer that hasn’t come.
Yet again, I’ve been MIA over the summer – you might want to reread some of your fave posts from me, like (wo)men or love songs are out or even coming full-circle.
Rebekah's Ramblings 