I’d like to break up with summer. Summer might say it wasn’t aware we were in a relationship. Yet here it is breathing down my neck.

As a child, summer was worth counting down to; it was the ultimate break. It meant playing outside all day (yes, kids actually did this unattended at one time), swimming, beach trips, visits with relatives, camp and all the good stuff!

In the adult world, summer is just a hotter time to go to work. My teacher friends still look forward to the freedom, and they’ve earned it. But for me, there’s no break. We don’t vacation during the summer: too crowded and expensive. Since we don’t have to worry about kids, we travel in the fall and winter.

I try hard not to be negative, but here are my summer struggles:

1. Humidity is the worst. Just horrendous. You do not get used to it. Ever walk outside and feel your shirt get wet in like 2 minutes; that’s humidity at its finest. Having naturally curly hair is real fun, too. On the bright side, it may actually add a few inches to my height.

2. I’m fair skinned, bordering on translucent. I do not tan. I burn. I stay out of the sun. Hats and umbrellas are my friends. I religiously use sunscreen and always have it with me. I can burn in about 10 minutes without it. I use spray tan. Yet still look Scandinavian. For those of you who do love to tan, please be careful. Skin cancer is a serious thing; so are wrinkles.

3. The Thigh Stick. If your thighs don’t touch, I’m happy for you. For the rest of us, it’s super annoying and causes a rash. I wear Spanx under dresses and skirts to avoid the walk rash.

4. I could literally get burned by my steering wheel. I should probably put oven mitts in my car for the afternoon drive home.

5. Swimsuit. No explanation needed.

6. Mosquitoes.  I try not to harm any creatures. Mosquitoes are the exception. I’m happy to see spider webs on my back porch with hope they’ll do all the dirty work.

7. Pop Up Storms: I don’t mind them. They are just unpredictable. They’re also scary for my poor Honey.

To be fair, I should also say a few nice things about summer since we can’t break up indefinitely.

1. It’s lighter longer.
2. Football technically starts in summer.
3. Flowers blooming.
4. Lots of birds and creatures around to watch.
5. Sandals.

That’s all I’ve got! Do you love summer, or are you already wishing for fall?