I've long been interested in memories--what triggers them and how we summon them. Sights and sounds, even a fragrance like freshly cut grass can easily initiate a stroll down memory lane.
Summers are filled with childhood memories. The ka-CHUNK of a watermelon being cut in half or the rumble of ice as it's dumped into a cooler can carry us back to family vacations or making ice cream at grandma's house.Recently, I was fortunate enough to pick up some lovely fresh fruit at a roadside stand. Cutting into a juicy freestone peach, I remembered my grandfather calling them "clearseed" peaches. From that simple recollection, soon there stretched a whole clothesline of summer memories gently flapping in the breeze: grape Kool-Aid, outdoor roller skates, making quilt "forts," climbing trees, nursing mosquito bites, growing tomatoes, riding bikes.Which sights, sounds, and scents of summer bring your memories bubbling to the surface? What do you love most about the this time of year? (Have you always?) Are there elements of the season you'd rather do without? I'd love to read your favorite summer memories in the comments below.
Maybe it's the change of seasons or the fact that school is out for the summer. Perhaps it's because I'm finally tackling some projects around the house which I've been procrastinating about for an embarrassingly long time. It could have something to do with the workshop I've just signed up for or the weight I've lost. (I'm pretty sure moving the big comfy chair from my side of the bed to a more open space by the window which faces the back yard has helped.) In any case, there is subtle yet significant forward motion in my life again, for which I am most grateful.I've never considered myself to be superstitious, but I confess a reluctance to celebrate this tiny revelation too loudly, lest the door suddenly slam shut on the lovely fresh breeze so long in coming. But I do want to acknowledge it, honor it, and enjoy it while it is here. I also intend to share it, as I can. So I invite you to join me in taking some deep cleansing breaths, as we prepare to welcome what comes.
