Summer, So Far
We are into our second full week of summer now (I count “summer” as starting when school ends, not June 21st) and I have some reflections! Some of these things seem very obvious, but are hitting me in a different way than I expected. 1. It’s hot. Oh, really? (you might be thinking.) You’ve lived in Florida for 25 years and never noticed that summers are hot? Well, yes I have. Our summer weather is typically in the low 90s every day, which, with the humidity, puts the “real feel” in the 100s. (Last summer was extra-special, as it was even hotter than that- we set some records!) In other words, it’s super unpleasant to be outside. I accept that, and we understand that running MUST occur early in the morning if you don’t want to have a heatstroke. I think it’s hitting me extra hard this summer though, because next week my sister and her husband are coming to visit and we’re trying to figure out WHAT we’re going to do while they’re here. The beach would be an obvious choice, but honestly, it’s so hot I don’t even want to go to the beach (we might go in the evening, but that’s the only time I want to be there.) I’ve tried googling “indoor activities in South Florida” and I get suggestions for things like trampoline parks and ice skating rinks. Let’s just say that’s not exactly what I’m looking for. There are some art museums, and we will probably visit those. But I don’t want to go to a museum EVERY day- that would be kind of strange. This isn’t a trip to Paris. So… I’m struggling with this a little. (Any suggestions???) 2. Everyone is home. Yes, this is what I wanted and looked forward to- my son is home!!! ALSO, my husband is a teacher so that means he’s home now as well. Ahem. The house is….a little crowded. I had to move my “home gym” (aka dumbbells and yoga mat) out of my son’s room, into our bedroom. That’s fine- I do that every time he’s home. The problem is, working out in the bedroom isn’t always feasible. It was especially challenging last week, because my husband and son had just returned from California on a red-eye flight, and their sleep schedule was MESSED UP. I never really knew when people were going to be asleep or awake, and there were mornings where my husband was still sleeping while I wanted to use my weights. I moved everything to the living room, but then the cats wanted to get in on the action. Try doing lunges while holding dumbbells overhead, WHILE A CAT ATTACKS YOUR LEGS. At one point I lurched in a weird way to avoid stepping on the cat, and felt a jolt of pain in my knee (Bad Muffin!!! Very bad girl!) Well… this gives me extra motivation to GO TO THE GYM for my workouts. 3. Sleeping later is overrated. Remember how happy I was NOT to have to get up at 5:30? Guess who didn’t get that memo- THE CATS. For the first week of summer they woke me up at 5:30, meowing loudly and excitedly for breakfast. It was rough. It has gotten better- the cats slowly adjusted. But now I’m just “feeling the summer vibes” and staying up too late reading. I can’t sleep THAT late, because I do still have to work (darn!) and, as I mentioned before, running must occur early in the morning. What I really need to do is pretend it’s not summer and just go to bed early- but so far I’m not doing a good job of that. Don’t get me wrong- I really am enjoying the more relaxed feel these days. But I’m realizing summer success doesn’t just happen- I may have to work at it a little. How is your summer going? Any challenges so far? Top photo by arty on Unsplash