Today Is The First Day Of Summer

Today, June 21, 2022, is officially the beginning of summer. It is also the longest day of the year, so you should have plenty of time to get out there and soak up some rays.

It is also the first day of Cancer if you are astrologically inclined, like so many of us are. The sun leaves flighty always busy Gemini behind and transits into the sign of the emotional Crab. Cancer is known for its empathy and emotional vibes and for expressing deep feelings for those they love.

This seasonal change is a welcome one for almost everybody. The passing of the icy blustery winter has long since given way to the ever-hopeful promise of the transitional spring with all its flowers blooming to deliver the summer bounty, and now… here it is! The promise, the yearnings, and the allure of summer are now all ours to enjoy.

I think almost everybody has fond memories of summer, I know I do. Summer is a fun time, most schools are closed till September and the kids are especially happy about that. For the kids, summer is a long, seemingly endless time to enjoy themselves. They can sleep in, get outside and just play, like kids do with their endless imaginations as they discover and enjoy a slower, gentler season with no school bells or homework.

Teenagers especially love to go to parties at the beach or go swimming or boating with their friends in the summer. It is like a super long spring break and can be an endless stream of good times and the creator of nostalgic memories of how people met their significant others. Many long-lasting and meaningful relationships are forged in the warm, glowing days of summer.

Some relationships of course end up just being summer flings, but these too can become a source of fond memories as we grow older and hopefully wiser. The options seem endless, and there is always a glow and shimmering aura of hope and possibilities waiting to happen all summer long.

Summer is good for the adults too. Many will take that long-awaited summer vacation to some faraway exotic places that are very popular for many people. After scrimping and saving and surviving the hard days of winter people are ready to just kick back and chill in the warm sun and finally go somewhere they’ve always dreamed of.

But you don’t have to travel overseas if you can’t afford it or just decide you don’t want to. Many people I know are choosing not to go overseas this summer because of hassles with personal finances, covid regulations, and airplane system breakdowns anyway. No matter, you can just chill out and still have plenty of fun.

That’s the beauty of summer. You can completely enjoy the summer right in your own backyard and take a sort of staycation in your own city, town, or state. All signs point to shorter road trips and less ambitious destinations this summer, partly because of the record high prices of gas at the pump.

Summer is its own magical, mystical season to just relax, reflect and take it easy. Music has always been a great influencer and backup soundtrack to people’s lives in the summer. The songs we hear in the summer seem like they are always more memorable and satisfying than in other seasons. They remind us of a slower, simpler, more innocent time and place.

Just off the top, you can start out with Janis Joplin’s rendition of “Summertime, and the Living is Easy,” right through to other summer classic songs like Alice Cooper’s feisty “Schools Out for Summer,” or the Eddie Cochrane/Blue Cheer renditions of angry teenage angst and regret in “Summertime Blues,” or Don Henley’s wistful recognition of the passage of time in “The Boys of Summer.”

Summer is also the time the baseball season really starts heating up too. The NBA basketball playoffs are over and NFL and college football is a distant gleam on the horizon for the millions of Americans, like me, who love sports and measure our time by the sports seasons as well as the calendar.

The slow, steady pace of baseball, often referred to as the National Pasttime is appealing to a lot of people in this hectic, frantic, always busy outside world. Go to a baseball game and you will find yourselves transported back to a slower, simpler time.

Baseball is the only sport that isn’t ruled by the artificial machinations of the clock. There is no time limit in a baseball game, both teams just play until a winner is declared and the game is won or lost. If you go to even one game a year, you will always remember it.

Living just blocks from the Pacific Ocean like I do, I walked to the beach today to celebrate the first day of summer. The beach was packed even though it was the middle of the week. There were sunbathers and surfers and kids and dogs and colorful tents and blankets spread out all up and down the warm sandy beach.

One thing everybody had in common was they were all enjoying themselves. The kids were racing around and making sand castles, playing frisbee, or collecting rocks and seashells. People were working on their tans and there were lots of dogs bravely chasing tennis balls into the chilly Pacific Ocean.

There was no tension, no strife, no arguments, everybody was just having fun in their own way. It was beautiful. Wherever you live, whatever you choose to do this summer, enjoy it.

That’s what summer is all about!