Time running out on Summer 2009

Though the slow bake typical for August in the mid-South continues in full force, the calendar tells a different story. The sand is quickly running through the hourglass, and Summer 2009 is virtually in the record books.

As early as this week, kids in Missouri will be heading back to school. Here in Arkansas, the school year won’t be under way until next week, but the verdict is still the same: Summer is pretty much over.

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you no doubt know my views when it comes to the seasons of the year. To put it simply, I’m a big fan of summer. Not so much for winter. Spring is good, in that it leads up to summer. Fall, by virtue of preceding winter, lands a place on my unpopular list.

So this would generally be the time of the year for me to start getting retrospective and nostalgic about the fall of summer’s glory, complete with all the seasonal affective disorders that go with it.

But I’m hoping to do better this year. After all, the fall/winter season isn’t all bad. There are more than a couple silver linings in every winter cloud. And I’m hoping to spend more time focusing on the positives this go-around.

For starters, fall is football season, and that’s a very good thing, though my wife might disagree. I’m more of a fan of the college game than the pros, but whether it’s Saturday or Sunday, there’s nothing more synonymous with fall than an afternoon with a good football game.

Fall is also soccer season, at least here in Blytheville. This will be the fourth year for my kids to take part in the Blytheville Area Soccer Association. Games are played every Saturday morning out on the Youth Sportsplex. Watching hundreds of kids in bright-colored jerseys chase a ball around the pitch is always a great start to any autumn weekend.

The end of summer also means an end to scorching heat. I’m looking forward to being able to go outside for walks or runs, or just to sit on the patio, maybe enjoying a small campfire. Such pursuits have been less than comfortable under the blazing August sun.

Summer reruns are, thankfully, nearing an end as well. The onset of fall and winter means favorite network shows will be back with new episodes. “Lost” and “The Amazing Race” still top my lists of scheduled viewing, and I’ve gone months without a new fix from either.

There's also a few decent holidays to look forward to over the coming months. I've always loved the Christmas season, and Thanksgiving and New Year's can be rewarding as well. The kids are big fans of Halloween, of course, and even Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day have a few redeeming qualities.

I'm also looking forward to not having to mow my lawn for a few months. Honestly, in the spring, I really enjoy mowing. By mid-summer, it's tolerable. But by this time, I'm sick of it. I'm ready for a break.

But the best thing about the fall/winter season is that it, ultimately, is what makes the spring/summer season so great. Just as lightness is meaningless without darkness, and cleanliness means nothing without dirt, summer means nothing without winter. The very greatness of summertime is defined by its contrast to winter. If it were 85 degrees and sunny every day, life would get boring. (Or we'd at least be a lot less appreciative of it.)

So I'm ending the summer on an optimistic note. Fall and winter may not be my favorite seasons of of year, but there's some things I can look forward to.

Besides that, eventually, summer will be back. I'm sure I'll be ready for it.