Summer lovin'

Or not.  

I'm about to say something that will probably make a lot of people gasp.  Or think I'm crazy.  Or both. 

I'm not a big fan of summertime. 

There.  I said it. 

Maybe it's because we have beautiful weather year round(for those that have actual winter I know you're thinking yep, that has to be it). 

That's probably part of it. 

I think it's  also that for sixteen years I worked at a school, either teaching Pre school or running a day care center.  I liked the predictability of the school year.  The schedule.  The continuity of the school day.  

Every year as the school year came to a close all of my teacher friends would pack up their classrooms and leave for the summer while me and my staff would be preparing to have fifty kids at our center for ten hours a day for twelve weeks. 

Summer was just three long months with too much time to kill.  

I never really outgrew that feeling, despite being out of that line of work for the last six years.  

It also gets pretty hot where I live in the summertime and I'm not a big fan of the heat. In fact, because of my kidney disease I have to stay out of the heat for the most part. That means staying inside for the hottest part of the day, breathing the artificial air that is circulating.  Yuck. Give me an open window and a nice breeze any day.   

Summertime is also a time when more  time is spent near water, and inevitably in less clothing.  Me and less clothing don't mix. I hate the way I look  in a swimsuit. I hate the way I look in most clothes that show more skin than I want to. Shorts, tank tops, bathing suits.  Yuck.  I'm going through an "I hate my body phase" and I want to be as covered up as possible(I'm working on that but it's slow going at this point). 

So I've never been a big fan of summer. 

And then dragon boating came along.  It helped alleviate some of the "I can't wait until this is over" feeling (I really do feel that way.  August is the longest month in the world to me, and I find myself waking up every day during that month wishing it were fall)

Dragon boating gave me something to look forward to in the summer, but it was only one day a week for 11 weeks.  That still left a lot of time to kill.  

But then something happened this year that could be a game changer for me. 

My childhood friend sent me an email letting me know that she was going to be moving her horse to a stable locally but that she would be needing someone to help care for him and would I be interested in helping her with that?

I had to read the email twice to make sure I understood exactly what she was asking.  

Help care for your horse?  Like go to the stables and brush him and turn him loose and ride him?  WHENEVER I WANT?

Are you freaking kidding me??? Heck yeah I am interested!! I haven't owned a horse in 18 years. Prior to that I spent all of my time at the stables growing up. The best times of my life.  I have missed it greatly, especially in the last few years when opportunities to ride have been few and far between.  

And so last Monday her horse moved into a stable 15 minutes from my house(15 minutes! :)

Since that day I have visited the stables four times. I have groomed.  I have run around in the arena after him.  I have mucked out a stall(oh how I love mucking out stalls!).  

I usually find myself there in the late evening, as the sun is setting, leaving long shadows and beautiful diffused reddish orange light.  

Usually everyone  has already gone home for the night so there is not a soul in sight and the horses are quietly munching on the last of their hay.  It is the most peaceful thing in the world.  

It has been glorious. 

I haven't ridden yet but I plan to after he becomes acclimated to his new home.  They have miles and miles of trails to ride on.  

So this summer I'm looking forward to:

Authentic Hawaiian Shave ice (we found a place right near my house)

The county fair

Dragon boat practices and races

And now the stables. 

It's shaping up to be one fabulous summer. 

Maybe this will be the summer that changes my mind about the season.  

But there's still that swimsuit thing.  ;)

Thanks to my friend Kelli for giving me this opportunity. I am so thankful!