After such a day…

When it’s time to write the introduction to summer… the hardest part isn’t thinking of what to write, but how to restrain myself and not write too much.
The air is warming, the sun is grinning and teasing “from the vault of the sky,” and here—do we really have to read V.’s insanely long tests?
Nonsense!

Look around. Close your eyes. Inhale.
And feel. With every inch of your skin, that the most awaited time has finally arrived.
And again, feel how sweet thoughts become about:

Strawberry necklaces.
Garlands of porcini mushrooms dried in the sun.
Fishing, where the point isn’t to catch anything, but just to hang out together.
Waves kicking against you.
Swims until blue lips and shouting, “maaannn daaarrrr nešššaaallltaaaa.”
Sandcastles.
Ice cream running through your hands.
Sandy “mustaches.”
Strawberries from grandma’s garden in soup.
Bare, sun-kissed legs.
A boat swayed by a young, unpracticed rower.
A sky full of stars.
Crackling campfires.
Long evenings on terraces.
Watermelons bigger than your head, with juice running down from giant bites.
Hammock swings.
Noses peeling from sun kisses.
Inflatable flamingos.
Swimsuits drying on your skin.
Wet hair tied into buns.
Wondering why it’s still light outside so late.
Getting lost between evening and night hours.

And then the wildly simple, everyday things
that make summer so extraordinary and unforgettable.

All that’s left is not to close your eyes
and remember “how it feels.”
It’s almost here.

For me today, a true, sincere summer has “arrived,”
and I have no doubt it has for you too.

V.