The summer will soon be upon us and it will be time to put away those chunky sheepskin boots and move on to sandals and shorts and sunscreen.
The world has become more refreshing - nothing feels better than the six o'clock breeze in the cool spring sun - and for those of us who have chosen to live in less than desirable climates, these first few days of sunshine are like a blissful gift from the heavens.
As a child, it is hard to comprehend that the world keeps going during the summer months. The sun always meant Slip and Slides and Popsicles and late-night Disney movies.
But as time goes on, you begin to realize that stores are still open, traffic lights still run and the world keeps turning.
The summer - that being not the season but the period between winter and fall semesters - for your typical college student is a time to regroup, refresh and earn some cash. Sure, when looking out an office window at the blistering sunshine that you can't quite feel, we long for those 12-year-old days when summer was for pure fun and indulgence, and when we didn't know of the existence of student loans. But regardless of the pressures of adulthood and finances, summer is still my favourite time of the year. All that sun makes for energetic days and good, restful nights of sleep.
I have noticed as Chicago has slowly and erratically shifted from winter to summer (there is no real spring here), the fluctuation in the moods of those around me is in accordance with the changes in weather. One day, it's sunny and smiles abound - high-fives on street corners and gleeful children skipping in the park with a happy mothers in tow. The next day, the winds are blowing and the sky is grey, it looks like night-time all day and a man bumps into me on my way into the train without so much as a glance. It begins to feel like you're riding an emotional rollercoaster that is at the mercy of the gods of weather.
What a contrast is the world of rainy streets with reluctant people dashing to work or a world of white snowflakes and gigantic snowbanks with bundled up people hurrying out of the cold. Now, I see happier people taking time to talk to one another and sitting outdoors drinking lattes and coffees in the bright sunshine.
My uncle swears he is season affected. He begins to long for sunshine and imagine its blessed rays early in the winter. He schemes his time so that he can get away somewhere where there is light and his beloved sun. I have noticed that people like him never can get enough of the sun and they do not say that it is too hot because they thrive in the heat while others languish and wilt. He saves the sunshine inside of him and when he returns to our colder climate, he is revived until the next spring.
My grandmother watches the sun on her garden every day and first thing in the morning, she checks how much her flowers have grown. She marvels at the season of flowers as the tulips wane and the huge red poppies light up her backyard.
Soon, I will be back to the busy world of Hong Kong, to the warmth and bright sunlight, and to a whirlwind summer of work and play. And as long as there is sunshine, I know things will be just fine.
Naomi Yorke is a Port Coquitlam student who lived in Shanghai, China for four years, writing about her experiences twice a month for The Tri-City News. She now lives in Chicago, where she's attending art school, and continues her column.
