There has been a lot of nostalgia for me this summer. In
fact, every summer brings back old memories of good times with family and
friends. Whether it's up at the cottage with my siblings, having a drink on the
dock with friends, or strolling the streets of Toronto after dinner time, the
sun still not having gone down for the day, the buzz of summer stays with me all year long and I feel free the minute hot sun hits my pale face (sunglasses please!)
The summertime has always brought so much comfort and good
times my way. As signs of winter melt away and we eagerly shed our heavy coats,
polish our toes, and wait for the first of the spring crocuses to break ground.
I’m not going to lie. I’ve had a heck of a year. In fact my
spring was such a downer personally, that I was longing for the thick hazy heat
of summer to wash away a really mucky few months that my husband and I had just
passed through.
By March I was wishing the time away – looking beyond the
crocuses this time. I wanted to fast forward to the cloud bursts brought on by
the heat waves of summer. If I could just get past the first few April showers
and quickly mow through the freshly grown green grass I could jump safely into summer
time and give myself and my heart a real break.
Summer has always been good to my family and I. I’ve spent
countless days and weeks at the cottage where lounging on the dock was
considered a “water-sport”. Camping with the cousins, boat rides in the SeaRay,
trips to the General Store, Fire Hall Fundraisers, jumping contests off the end
of the dock, cocktail hour, naps in the shade, “melty” ice cream, Noxzema, tube
rides, mud pies in the shallow end, celeb magazines, V.C. Andrews, suntan
lotion, Sun-In, dill pickle chips – to me this is what summer is all about,
forever and always.
But of course there’s one thing I’m missing which was also
very much a part of my summers past. The CNE (Canadian National
Exhibition) of course!! Having pulled myself out of a dark spot this year I suddenly got
the urge to hit the Ex for the first time in almost, well…15 years…?
Talk about feeling like a kid again! It only seemed fitting
that I drag along my best friend since grade school. Actually she was totally
gung-ho – just as much about the food and rides and I was, which is why we make
such a great pair at times. First deep-fried Mars bar dinner followed by Tiny
Tom’s for dessert then off we went to scope out the rides. We went for the (safe) Classics: the Ferris Wheel and then
the swings that spin around and around and around...
It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. I
was really disappointed to see my nerve had pretty much disappeared since the
last time we were here years ago. While a mother and son in front of us chatted away and
took pictures on their 'round about trip, BFF and I had our eyes pinched shut
with our sweaty little hands grasping the bar that lay across us. With each
swing of the seat we felt our hearts jump out of our chest. Oh but it was
hilarious. And fun. And ridiculous that we were being so ridiculous. And we
laughed, between our screams, and then I laughed in such a way that I realized
at that moment in time I really hadn’t done so in months. And it felt great.
And this is why I love summer so…
Enjoy the journey (and being a kid again)… S
