Ah, summer. Especially in the Pacific Northwest, it's coveted. Having lived here for 15 years, I love all of the seasons, but summer is still a time to make the best of -- a time to do all of the outdoor things you can, get some vitamin D, and spend time with friends.

As I thought about the past many summers, I started to write about control. The plans we make in the summer are almost desperate -- strangely, it can be stressful feeling like the time is so fleeting that we need to make the best of it. And inevitably, we spend some weekends inside doing life things, or we get a summer cold and we miss the group trip to the river. Ultimately this is about wanting to experience things and make memories. 

But memories are a funny thing too. As I get older, my long-term memory has become frustratingly bad. As I wrote this song, I found myself living in a moment of wanting to create a memory so badly that I became stuck, "weary," and tied to an idea of success in that moment that takes me out of it. 

But, what would it look like to completely submit to whatever nature has in mind -- for me, for my life, and for that moment? The "they" in this song reflects some type of higher power, though I don't totally believe in one. Nature, I guess. And while it sounds both challenging and lovely to submit and trust in this way, I am learning that more of that is what ultimately helps me create more joy in my life, and more memories as a result.

SUMMER

Squint to see the lines the lights make over you
Years of trying to create not turn into
Heat cools our temperament
Helps us keep "to task"
Maybe in the sweet of Summer
This will do

Weary on the side of the river on our backs
Time of the season for sunlight on this path
Flirt with the fleeting
Green will turn to brown
Then a glimpse of what it might take
To get it back

I might believe it if they tell me
I wasn't born
Because I have no memory
Of the times before
I might believe it if they tell me
It's meant to be
What if I do it accidentally?
Fall in