Nostalgic Summers

One of my favorite words in the English language is: nostalgia. Besides being a cool sounding word, it also exemplifies summer to me. Summer is my favorite time of the year and along with it comes tons of fond memories. I remember when I was young and would play outside until well past sunset. Back then everything was a little bit easier and it seemed like everyone got along. I recall summers, not to long ago, back in high school, when the future seemed so bright and the skies were the limit. I reminisce about my time as a camp counselor and the crazy stories that have been generated by those summer nights. I’m brought back to times of warmth, happiness, and endless possibilities. I long for those lost times, with lost friends and lost dreams. I can’t decide if those times feel like yesterday, or a million years ago. I can remember riding my bike, with Josh and Ryan, up and down the block until my mom would yell that it was time to come in as if it was yesterday. Yet it seems like it was an eternity ago when Alex, Josh, Nick, and I would spend almost every summer day playing NHL Hitz and Gauntlet: Dark Legacy.

I always felt like the summer was my last “hurrah!” of the year because my birthday marked the beginning of a new school year. The summer was a time to celebrate the end of a school year and a time to prepare for the new one. As I have gotten a little bit older I feel like I have either lost that feeling all together, or have gotten confused over the years. These were times when everyone rejoiced for the harbinger of freedom, relaxation, and fun. Everyone wanted to do something, hang out with friends, and be happy in each other’s company. Yet as the summers melt away and new ones emerge those sentiments seem to have lessened. I honestly don’t believe my past summers to be the “glory days”, even though they will always hold a special spot in my heart. I think that saying “those were the best times of my life” is like giving up on the future. What is there to look forward to if you already are past the prime?

I want desperately to feel the rush of excitement of the bright summer days and the long summer nights. I want to throw the baseball or Frisbee around with my best friends, sit side by side with friends around a roaring fire, and lie down next to a summer romance while gazing at the stars. I don’t think that, just because I have grown older, summer has lost its power. I am a believer of making your own destiny and I am going to do everything I can to rekindle that smoldering summer fire.

What does nostalgia mean to you? What are your fondest memories of summers past? What used to be important to you as a kid, but seems not to be anymore?