Summer Scents

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow fast in movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with summer." F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Summer is my favorite season. Always has been. I love its scents of magnolia, honeysuckle, and cut grass. I love its sounds of happy birds, wound-up cicadas, and boats on the river. But mostly I love its freedom. Maybe that comes from living by the academic calendar and having time off. Maybe that love was set in place by a happy childhood of bike riding, sprinkler jumping, and games of “Kick the Can.”

Whatever the reason, summer’s freedom offers the chance not to hurry so much. And not hurrying gives space for creative thought. Hey, White Girl was born in the summer. I was born in the summer. And with each summer, like Fitzgerald, I am revisited by the “conviction” that life is beginning again. I hope however old I become, that feeling never abandons me.

Whether you’re a fan of this season or not, may these longer days offer you space. May you have time to do some porch sitting and daydreaming. May a summer scent stir your creativity and bring back that youthful hope of what may be in store.

Thanks for musing with me.