Petition to not make the most of summer.

omg look how much fun I am having because the sun is shining and I’m holding two melons!!!

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I am just going to say it. Sunshine annoys me.
Not always of course and not all sunshine - but definitely while I am bleeding. When I am on my period, my body temperature rises by 100% and I do NOT want to be sweating more than I already am.
Let me be more specific:
I dislike summer sunshine, to be even more specific, anything above 25 degree sunshine.

Spring sunshine? Love it.
That tender, soft, warm caress after the freezing cold winter days. Like slipping into a warm pair of socks or the gentle warmth of another human body. Perfect.

Autumn sunshine? Love it.
The air is crisp and clear; you can wrap yourself in layers and not sweat; and the sun is gentle and golden. Delicious.

Winter sunshine?
Who doesn’t love that? It’s a welcome break from dark, short days and feels as cosy as being wrapped in a toasty blanket.

But summer sunshine?
P L E A S E.
Hot, glaring, burning-in-your face, impossibly bright light that makes everything harder and slower. That heat that is insufferable, that everyone moans about and tries to hide from.
People always telling me I should love the heat because I am Sicilian (and a Leo!). Let me tell you something:
People in hot countries don’t even like heat.
That’s why siesta was invented. Everything shuts down til 6 pm. And life re-emerges after the sun has stopped being annoying.
There is a reason why life stops in the heat. Why shops close and blinds are down to keep the house cool.
Because nobody can cope, ok?

People who don’t live in these places think that’s what they want. That’s because the only time they’re in the heat is on holiday, where they can sit in a pool all day.
Try working and living in it. Nothing functions. And people lock the heat out, until it passes.

Summer sunshine is aggressive. The light is so loud. You need sunglasses in order to look at anything and not contort your face; you might turn into a piece of crispy bacon, whole sections of land just catch on fire, even with the best of deodorants, you will smell disgusting in 38 degrees, your body is a sticky blob, to the point where you don’t even want to touch people.
So unappealing.

And while we’re at it: I DO NOT WANT TO MAKE THE MOST OF SUMMER.
The pressure.
To do things, to go places, to be out all the time. To be active, to be adventurous, to go on holidays, to have fun, to be busy, to enjoy the sun, to have plans, to make the most of it.
The most of what?
The most of the GOOD WEATHER. The most of sunshine.
As if you can’t make the most of any weather?
As if sunshine is the only weather you can use to your advantage, the only weather to be adventurous in, to have fun in, to make plans in or go places.
What is our obsession with summer sunshine and our lamentation with pretty much any other weather?
And when I say our, I actually don’t mean me, I do mean you.
I’m good.

For whatever mercy of the gods, I am not fazed by weather, and I adore a rainy day as much as any other day.

I don’t personally feel summer pressure, because I know what my definition of happiness is. I know what my good life looks like. And it doesn’t involve eternal summer.
But I see and hear it all around me. All the time. It’s like a fascinating lab rat experiment. Everyone is running around trying to make ‘the most’ of summer, as if they can’t make the most out of every other day of the year as well. As if ‘the most’ is somehow intrinsically linked only to the hot season.

So I am advocating for those among us who live to the beat of their own rhythm throughout every season.
Who don’t have plans every weekend and don’t squeeze in five trips in three months, who spend Friday nights painting in their garden and cooking dinners with friends. Who still do the same things they do in spring, autumn and winter. Who keep the same rhythm and don’t speed life up just because it’s sunny outside.
The ones who don’t get busier just because the temperatures are rising. Those among us who just continue living the life they love no matter the season.

You don’t have to make “the most” of sunny days. Sure, please get your fill of Vitamin D, but you don’t have to succumb to the message that somehow summer needs to be ‘enjoyed’ more than any other season. That the more active you are in summer, the better. That having more plans is somehow a measure for how much you are enjoying summer.
Stay the course, whatever your good life looks like.
Carpe diem and all that - not just in summer. x

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I adore these words by Ban Hass. And they definitely resonate 😄