Yup, it is!

A favorite phrase of non-teachers when talking about the summer vacation that teachers get is, "Oh, must be nice!" If you are a teacher this can be infuriating. You feel as if they don't understand how many hours you work during the school year, how necessary the closure is, or how we don't really have that time "off" cause we are constantly doing things to prepare for school, coaching, tutoring, etc. Well I have decided that I will never convince anybody of how hard I work, and that it doesn't matter. My new response when faced with the proverbial, "Oh, must be nice!" is "yup, it is!" with a grin.

So here on this Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, (on which I have nothing but time because I am a teacher) is a list of all the little things I love about summer:

warm nights under glowing sunsets

tan feet in perpetual flip-flops

fluffy beach towels on lounging chairs

crisp vegetables in raw flavor

bright fruit in colorful salads

humming lawn mowers in fragrant grass

long breakfasts with lingering conversation

picnic lunches on sandy blankets

grilled dinners with icy cocktails

finished books on patio tables

floating rafts in lazy pools

dripping swimsuits on shower doors

freckled noses under constant sunglasses