Sara and Melissa Talk About...Seasons

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. We are currently in our fifth year!

This month, we are talking about seasons. The four seasons provide a nice backdrop to novels, whether they're in the heat of summer, a blustery autumn with the leaves falling everywhere (and pumpkin spice, of course), a cozy warm home after being outside on a freezing winter's day, or all the flowers blooming in the spring. To accompany this post, here are some songs that talk about seasons:

"Girl for All Seasons" from Grease 2
"Seasons of Love" from Rent
"The Time of the Season" by The Zombies
"Seasons" by Maroon 5

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them. 

Melissa Amster:

I grew up in the midwest, where we got all four seasons to the extreme. Sometimes, we'd get snow in the middle of spring! After moving out east, I noticed that some seasons are more mild than others. Here are my thoughts on each of the seasons:

Summer: Summer used to be my favorite, when I was a kid and got to go swimming almost every day. I also enjoyed having breaks from school or college and would live it up during the summer months. Nowadays, the only thing I like about summer is my birthday. I work year-round, so summer is just like any other time of the year, except really, really hot. I hate being hot. I just feel so disgusting after being outside for a while. I'm also not as much of a Fourth of July person as I used to be. It just feels like any other day to me. 

Autumn: I've always been an autumn person, for as long as I can remember. I don't even care about pumpkin spice. I just love the smell of the air, the leaves changing color, the temperature cooling down a bit, etc. I don't know that I've talked about Sukkot much here, but it takes place during the autumn and the later in the season, the better. (Trust me, it's no fun being in a sukkah when it still feels like 100 degrees out!) This year, it will be in late October, so I'm looking forward to that. I also still enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving. My older son was born in September, so that's another reason for me to like this time of year!

A glimpse inside our sukkah

Winter: When we first moved to Maryland, we were told that it barely ever snows here. That winter, we had Snowmageddon and could barely even leave our house. I'm not a huge fan of snow, except when I don't have to be outside dealing with it. It's a pain to shovel and it's scary to drive on. I also don't like being extremely cold either. In the midwest, it was so cold that it was actually painful. I enjoy the winter holiday season, but that's about it. I found out that this year, Hanukkah and Christmas are together! At the end of winter, I look forward to my daughter's birthday.

Snowmageddon 2010

Spring: I used to be ambivalent about spring. It was just nice enough out, but it felt like a boring season to me when I was growing up. After moving to Maryland, I now look forward to seeing the cherry blossoms every spring. They're so beautiful! My anniversary and my younger son's birthday are both in March, so that's something fun to celebrate. And while I don't like cleaning for Passover, I do enjoy the holiday once it's actually happening.

Sara Steven:

When I think of seasons, I immediately think of the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds. To everything there is a season, right? It’s fitting. Just this morning, I reflected on the fact that next year, I’ll have lived in Arizona ten years, when it feels like I just moved here not too long ago. Before moving to Arizona, I lived in Nebraska for fourteen years, and soon, Arizona will contend with that length of time. My boys are young adults and teenagers now, but when we moved here, my youngest wasn’t in school yet, and the oldest son was starting fifth grade. If anything shows you a turn of seasons, it’s realizing how much older your children are. 

The one year my boys attended school together;
6th grade and kindergarten respectively

When it comes to my favorite season, it’s always been the summer. I love the heat. I love the sun. I love the ability to spend as much time as possible outdoors, enjoying fully bloomed plants, nature, and wildlife that you might not see in colder weather. I know for someone who now contends with intense heat in Arizona, I sound a little crazy. Most of the time, residents here hide out during those 115 degree days, and yes, I’m one of them. Even I have my limits. But I enjoyed my early morning walk today, reveling in a cloudless blue sky and neverending sunshine, because I’ll work around the super hot summers in Arizona, not letting it dampen my favorite time of year. 

It’s not limited to where I currently live. No matter where I’ve lived–Oregon, Texas, Nebraska, Arizona–I’ve loved the summertime. I feel more in tune with myself and with my environment. I tread through those cold winter months, prepare through the spring, in order to arrive at June-July-August. One of my earliest memories in my childhood consists of time spent outdoors in the summery sunshine, lifting my face up towards the bright horizon, eyes closed, listening to the sounds of other kids like me playing and enjoying their day. My birthday is in July, too, so that might have something to do with it. I’m a summer baby by birth, and by choice.

Me, enjoying the great summer outdoors

What is your favorite season? Least favorite?

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