Well summer is almost here and it’s time to hit that old, dusty trail to the beach folks. No whining either, no matter how hot it gets or how humid it may be. When your armpits are sweating uncontrollably and your hair is frizzed to the max, remind yourself of the winter we just had, then lock it up and take the heat. By the way, word from the Farmers Almanac is that we are expected to have as brutal a summer as we did winter.

I revere the summer and respect the dramatic changes in season because I relate it to the cycle of life as cheesy as it may sound. There are certain feelings and emotions tied to each season whether you realize it or not. Weather has a huge impact on everything we do from the way we eat, dress, act and more importantly the way we feel.

Winter as we all know has the upper hand on our outdoor activities, or lack thereof. Football Sundays are a saving grace and in some respects and it is nice to veg out at home with hot chocolate and no intentions of leaving the house. That also gets old very quickly and that’s when I start to get squirrelly. The combination of lack of sun, excess of dark skies and the cold is enough to drive me nuts with no end in sight.

Once Easter has passed is when I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There is an undying gratitude within me that grows with every rise in the temperature and every minute that the day is longer. Springtime has sprung and I feel like I don’t give it enough recognition as a season, but I am thankful for the transitional season that lifts my spirits.

Summer! Too shortly lived, I cherish every moment of the day and night that I am not in two pairs of sweatpants and a insulated hoodie to keep warm. There is an aura in the air; not the creepy, isolated feeling one gets when walking home at all hours of the night in the dead of winter. It is a calmer feeling on a summer night because of the weather. Warm and breezy with the sun shining, it is harder for people to be less stressed. During the summer, everyday is like Sunday.

Snap your fingers and it’s over, Fall is fast approaching and while people are still somewhat happy, they are grasping at the last summer straws before they have to start raking leaves. While a gorgeous season to witness it is linked with the drab, back-to-school attitude and summer soon becomes a memory. Fall is a reminder of the good weather and feeling that we just had for three months and also a reminder of what’s to come.

I would always bitch about the lengths of the seasons, I never found it fair that winter lingers for what seems like most of the year and summer hangs out for about two months.

I have always heard the saying “life’s not fair” but it is only as I grow older that I realize how harshly true those words are. Also in my old age, I am making a concerted effort to try my best at making lemonade when life throws me lemons. The correlation between the four different seasons and all the emotions we feel is a way of me coping with growing up.

Rolling with the punches is easier said than done and that goes for all aspects of life. Not to throw complete blame on the weather for having influence on my feelings, but the tri state area truly experiences the best and worst of winter, spring, summer and fall. The appreciation I have for the hottest summer day on the beach is magnified by the memory of the coldest winter night I spent an hour after work picking a giant ice patch that my car was stuck on.

If the bad times weren’t so bad, then the good times wouldn’t be so good and that’s what it boils down to. So enjoy the coming two months and soak up that sun, it will fly by in the blink of an eye and I hate to remind you but winter is coming.