Do you remember a summer that seemed to never end? I have 3 summers that were just that. Funny that they came from 3 very different phases of my life.
The first was the summer of 1995; I was 14 — the days of childhood slipping away. We spent those extended summer days in the Berkshire Mountains playing "Capture the Flag", riding mountain bikes, building campfires, making the rounds to friends' homes and swimming in our local creeks. I had a "girlfriend" but I had no idea what that meant. I am still connected to the handful of friends from that era.
After graduating from college, I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and settled into a job. Planning to "start my real life", I had grand plans which all came crumbling down following a breakup with a girl who I had planned to marry. That winter brought some dark months. The summer of 2005 that followed was epic. Every evening was filled with intimate gatherings of small groups of friends, live music performances, even some karaoke and partaking in "to die for" food + drink. When the weekend arrived, it was a blur of hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, road tripping and splashing in swimming holes.
The summer of 2013 when I met my wife was the most serendipitous endless summer. I moved to Dallas in March of that year, not knowing a soul except a college friend, Shannon. She introduced me to her circle of friends, including my now wife, Micah. I was pouring myself into my new job and, when I wasn't working, I explored new friendships, hidden gems around Dallas and long weekend road trips. Some evenings are still as vivid as last night. I cooked an unforgettable meal for Micah and her friends, we went to a concert, and I even played a little hard-to-get. By the end of that summer, it finally became Facebook official.
Endless summers may slip away with the shorter days and the arrival of autumn, but they never truly end. They live on, etched into our hearts and replayed in our minds, vivid as yesterday. These are the moments that shape us — gentle reminders that while the season may pass, the memories linger. And perhaps, just perhaps, another endless summer awaits us down the path.