I miss the summer. I miss getting up and having no where to be and nothing to do. I miss the randomness of the daily routine. I miss watching The Price is Right and the long walks across town to the city pool. I miss the excitement laced with dread of the upcoming school year and the smell of new clothes worn on the first day of school. I guess, in sum, I am getting old.
This is the 18th summer for my oldest son, William. I have relived the memories of my life watching him grow up. The same is true as I have watched his brother and sister grow up. I have constantly compared their life to mine at the same age. Often times, it made me realize how simple life was back in the day. Other times, it made me realize how good they have it. As William starts practice for his last high school football season and prepares to begin his senior year, I begin to realize that my son’s childhood is almost over. Many would say it is over, but I am going to let it go another year. The focus of the comparisons I make between our lives now deals with the graduation and college and not fun at the pool. While his journey into manhood fills me with pride, it also serves as a constant reminder of the fact I am continuously getting older.
I look back at the summers of William’s life and wonder if there has been too much pushed on him. Between two week summer camps, football camps, visits to grandparents, and daycare at the Little Rock Athletic Club, I wonder if his summers have been too busy. Has he missed out on his God given right to lay around and not even know what day it is? All questions I cannot answer. All questions left better unasked.
My summers seem to go a lot faster than they did as a young man. I spend most of my time going from one climate controlled place to another. I watch the weeks fly by as my focus starts to settle on trials that are scheduled for the fall and winter of next year. In many ways, this summer was over for me before it started. I already miss it.
That being said, by the time this prints, the mid-west will have had the hottest week on record in many places. Triple digits will prevail all week long. It is perfect summer weather. Unfortunately, I will be in Denver all week for a criminal defense seminar and will miss the oppressive heat.. The highs in Denver are not expected to go above a balmy 83 degrees. As much as I will miss the heat, the idea that the daily high in Denver is the same as the low in Little Rock makes me smile in anticipation.
I am sure I will miss the heat while I am gone, but I will also enjoy the cool weather of Colorado. One thing about getting older is we find that it does not have to be all or nothing. Sometimes, extremes are just extremes, and extremes are something we can all use a break from. That is true for everyone, even those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!