Wishing my life away

I always tell people that I live in this part of the country because I require 4 seasons. I still think that's true. But I realized this week that it is not the beauty of winter's first snowfall or the splendor of fall's glorious palate that I crave. It is not the feeling that settles on you as the sun sets on a summer barbecue and the kids set to work chasing fireflies that keeps me in this part of the country, nor is it the promise that the first warm day of spring brings. No, the real reason that I need to live in a place with 4 distinct seasons is that when you have 4 seasons, each one lasts only 1/4 of the year.

I am done with this heat and humidity. Done with sunscreen and sweat. Tired of our summer wardrobes and sick to death of washing pool towels. Summer has been in full swing for all of 5 weeks and already I want it over. Bring on the leaves to rake and the early twilight and break out the cozy sweaters. I'm ready. I know that Evan screams like a banshee when presented with a coat and that neither child does well when forced to remain indoors for days at a time. I recognize that the winter months are pure agony. And at the moment, I don't care. Anything sounds better than this, even with the full knowledge that as soon as that anything arrives, I'll be wishing like hell for that to be over, too.

I am a nature lover, really I am, and I do think all 4 seasons are beautiful. But more than that, I am an incredibly impatient person. I am always waiting for the next best thing. And that, my friends, is why I will never leave the East Coast. The leaves are pretty. So is the snow. The budding leaves are fabulous and so is the full bloom of summer. But the fact that they're all gone almost as soon as they arrive? Beautiful...