Do you know the song made popular in the nineties by Alan Jackson, Summer Time Blues? Originally by Eddie Cochran and even performed by The Who and others, the song talks about being stuck at work when he’d rather be out having fun in the sun. And being too young to vote he can’t get any help from the government to solve this perplexing dilemma. What’s he gonna do ‘cause there ain’t no cure for the summer time blues? But when I think of Summer Time Blues I think of right now. The time after Labor Day when summer is winding down and the kids are all back in school. The days are getting shorter and cooler. The leaves are beginning to drop off into the pool and while I love the autumn time with its beautiful colors and open windows, I go into a little bit of a funk this time each year. Don’t get me wrong, I really do love autumn, it’s a beautiful time of leaves changing and bright mums. Bon-fires, hay-rides and corn-mazes are all fun moments to share with family, friends and loved ones and I thoroughly enjoy those times. But that doesn’t stop the funk from coming.
If you read my “About” page or “To Beach Or Not To Beach” my love of the summer season probably is pretty obvious. If spring time is when everything comes to life, summer time is when everything is full of life. The bees are busy pollinating the richly colored flowers and making honey. The birds sing a happy tune while hunting worms for their babies. The leaves on the trees are bright and full. The sun hangs higher and moves at a slower pace across vast sky making our days longer. Yes, it can get hot but personally I prefer the hot over the cold. Some of you may feel the complete opposite and that’s cool. You love the snow and all the activities that go along with it, but I’m not one of those people. I love the sun and the activities that go along with it so when summer winds down I tend to get the blues. No matter what I tell myself to bolster my mood, as September fades into October it’s something I battle with each year. Anyone else?
So, what to do about it? I’m not God so I can’t change the weather. I live in an area that gets all four seasons and they’re very definitive. Winter is cold and summer is hot.
I could move to an area that stays warm all year long but since I’ve put my request in to my husband for the first twenty years of our marriage and we’re still here, I stopped asking. Besides, both sides of our entire families are here and we are all so very close the move would most likely be harder on me than dealing with these Summer Time Blues and the cold. So we stay. And I’m so okay with that!
There are those who suffer more serious seasonal depression and that is nothing to take lightly or brush off. If you have signs and symptoms that go much deeper than the “blues” called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and they interfere with your every day living, please seek help. Here is a list of possible symptoms from *Medline Plus:
- Sad, anxious or “empty” feelings
- Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
- Irritability, restlessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
- Fatigue and decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
- Changes in weight
- Thoughts of death or suicide
For me, I try to stay focused on the good that a season can bring. What good things happen for you in each season? What do you look forward too? Is it a particular holiday? An annual event that you’re involved in? A favorite sport? For me personally, it helps to look ahead and realize that this is just a season and it won’t last forever. It’ll pass and before I know it spring will be making way for another summer.
As I write this I’m reminded of a passage of scripture from 2 Corinthians, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (v.v. 17-18)
As the days shorten and darkness descends earlier each day, I am thankful for ever-changing seasons and the moments I can stop and breath in the treasure of each day that I’m blessed to be here with family, friends and loved ones. If we can remember that what is seen here and now is temporary maybe the Summer Time Blues won’t seem so blue and the treasure of each day will be made more apparent.
*Source: https://medlineplus.gov/seasonalaffectivedisorder.html
Moments To Treasure 