Summer Then, Summer Now

Often before I begin a full day of writing, I like to do a warm-up. Today as I got ready to dive deeper into book two of my Rabbit in Red series, I took some time for a little free-writing. I thought about summer in my past and summer today. Here's what I wrote. I hope you enjoy.

Remember sunflowers as big as gods or devils?

I’d strain my neck to find their centers,

Envisioning a unique universe in each petal.

The sun would wake us up without complaint.

Daily adventures awaiting on grass and concrete,

Never fearing the heat would make us faint.

No lawn was too small to host a world series.

No house too little to be a big haunted mystery.

Life was a delirious string of games and stories.

Ice cream truck music turned us into sprinters.

And boy could we run, all day long, never tiring.

These were the rewards of suffering long winters.

The smallest hills beat the best roller coasters.

All you needed was a fast bike and a best friend.

It’s our imagination that brings us all closer.

Kool-Aid, Super Soakers, and snow cones:

We didn’t need phones or apps to be happy,

Just a creek where we could toss some stones.

Maybe it would have been fun to have today’s toys,

But I’m glad I remember dad’s holler and not some text.

All of today’s noise distracts us from such simple joys.

Sometimes I wish I had taken more pictures, sure.

I spent more time looking up instead of looking down.

Too busy living in the moment but those memories still endure.

These worlds from our childhood can inspire others,

They become stories on paper or tales told to children.

Life around us—not on a screen—is what we discovered.

Of course, I loved my video games and movies too,

But I’m glad I saved those for rainy days and late nights.

My dirty hands and sunburned face had better things to do.

Naturally every generation will glorify its past,

And hang onto nostalgia to sweeten present moments.

It’s because looking back we know life moves too fast.

But I wouldn’t trade in my childhood summers

For any of today’s technological games and wonders.

The HD of nature is and will always be a brighter color.

As a new summer begins, let us remember the little things,

That a bike ride or a reading a book under a tree,

Stimulates the mind as flowers are fueled by spring.

I prefer not to look down but to look up at the world near and far,

To see all of its beauty, to be inspired by possibilities.

I’d rather trip and fall than ever know I missed a shooting star.

We can reach the suns, the stars, the moons, and the oceans.

We can experience the infinite depths of their power.

But only if we live and walk with our eyes up and minds open.

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