I must be one of the few people who actually dislikes summer.
Other than two months away from a classroom, I was never one to fantasize about the long, hot days.
All I have ever thought of with summer is heat, sweating, sticking to surfaces, not being able to cool down, not being able to sleep in the few hours of darkness we have because it is too darn hot.
The only part of summer I have ever looked forward to is swimming. And, that isn’t saying much because you can go swimming anytime of the year. I often go swim laps at the NexSource Centre in the middle of winter, because I love swimming so much.
Unfortunately, the one thing I love about the heat of summer isn’t one I have really partaken in this year.
Actually, I have yet to even put a toe into the lake this year, much to my chagrin.
2020 is the year of disappointment. Not going swimming in our beautiful lake because there are just way too many people around, is only one small part of a year full of let downs.
I’ve never liked crowds to begin with, throw in a global pandemic and I avoid them at all costs, even if that means being slightly miserable in the summer.
With the heat - which for me is anything higher than 20C, I know, you don’t have to say it - comes the sunburns. I am a very fair skinned person, and I live and die by my sunscreen. At any given time during the summer months I will have multiple bottles of SPF50 sunscreen on the go. One goes with me in my bag, one is in my car, and then I have two in my house a water resistant one for swimming and one for general use.
Does this stop me from getting a sun burn? Absolutely not.
As I write this, my arms are a pleasant shade of not-quite-tomato-red, which occurred from a five minute stint in the sun to go check my mail.
I always think I’ve come to terms with my relationship with the sun and summer. But then, days like we are experiencing this week come back around.
Those days were I shutter the blinds in my house, and refuse to turn on lights so my home can be as cool as possible.
Summer comes back around, and I find myself longing for the rainy days we were all just complaining about. But only because I have convinced myself that I am actually a ball of wax and the summer sun is literally melting me.
I texted my younger sister recently about how much I hate summer, thinking she would laugh and tell me how great it is to be outside while it is warm and all that jazz. Instead she commiserated with me sending me a picture of herself looking similar to my almost-a-boiled-lobster shade of red.
After 30 years on this earth I have yet to feel the same love for summer as others.
While you are all out enjoying the sun, and the warmth and having summer fun, I will be sitting under a shady tree, with layers of sunscreen on planning what to do for Halloween. Because, autumn is 100 times better than summer.
Megan Roth is the editor of the Sylvan Lake News.