Summer has “officially” begun but somehow, it is different!

Summer has “officially” begun but somehow, it is different!

Sam Houston is a syndicated columnist and newspaper executive. He is also an author, playwright, actor, and entertainment producer/promoter.

With the school year ending and the passing of Memorial Day, summer has officially started. I appreciate the first official day of summer is not until June 21, but in my book after Memorial Day and the kids are out of school, the world quickly passes from spring to the heat and activity of summer vacation.

Thoughts of summers gone by rekindle memories, which are deeply embedded in my mind. The world has changed in the many years since the summers of my youth. Those summers were spent in endeavors significantly different than how children now spend their time.

Just this past week I went to the dermatologist for them to examine a mole on my back. My wife had advised me the mole was slightly irregularly shaped and darkened, and she thought I should have it checked. When the doctor asked me if I used sunscreen, I advised that I do now, but when in grade school my shirt came off the last day of school and other than church, it pretty much did not go back on until the first day of school in the fall. I am not sure sunscreen had even been invented yet! Most all my summer days were spent either playing baseball, running in a garden sprinkler, or playing with the water hose, while the sun baked down.  Many times, there were not enough boys to play a regular full scale baseball game, so we played stick ball or what we called Indian ball which required less men. Sometimes, my buddy Bobby and I would simply play catch for hours on end, creating a game with imaginary players, hits and runs, walks, and errors. The thought of going inside never seemed to cross our mind. Of course, there was no air conditioning in the house, so going inside would not have been much cooler except for a little breeze provided by the oscillating fan.

We boys would go in to eat dinner but would gobble our food down so we could get back outside and play tag or hot box or wait until near dark to begin catching fireflies. We would be out past dusk and would hear the back screen open and my mother’s voice would call out when it was time to come in. I never remember being discontented. I was never envious of other kids who went off to camp or on extravagant vacations. There was something magical about the simplicity of life, the sheer joy and happiness of playing, being with my friends, and doing what we did.

I look at the summer activities of young people today and they are so vastly different. Children go to gymnastics, dance, and swimming lessons, sports camps as well as a host of other activities. Time is spent playing with a tablet, phone, or playing video games. Other than swimming, little time is spent outside or creating ways to spend their time, everything is preplanned and pre-programmed.

Who am I to judge whether the way children spend their summer is well spent or not. I am guessing young people will not look back on their youthful summers with the same joy as I do. Such a pity.

Thought for the day: A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you’ve been taking.

Until next time...I will keep ridin’ the storm out!

sam@hcnews.com