SPECIFIC childhood memories of summer
-Face and hands sticky and red from snow cones
-The welcome feeling of cool air and the smell of popcorn as you entered the movie theater for a matinee on a blistering afternoon
-Long, long road trips to the beach, and frequently sticking your head out the window to see if you could smell the salt air.
-Going to sleep slightly sunburnt, freshly showered, but still smelling of sunscreen as you drift off after a long day of swimming, still feeling like you are being gently rocked by ocean waves.
-Begging your parents to run down to the ice cream truck the minute you start hearing “Ragtime” faintly in the streets
-Shiny, colorful inflatable pool toys with that specific plasticky smell.
-Movies you still love to watch even today, not necessarily because they were great, but because you watched them during a happy summer in your childhood.
-Searching the beach for big shells like the ones in movies, but only finding broken pieces of them.
-The joyful feeling of running home on the last day of school, anxious to dump out all of your old papers.
-Blowing bubbles out on the sidewalk, watching them glisten with their oil-slick, iridescent colors.
-Drawing on the pavement with chalk, even if the asphalt did dig into your skin a little bit and leave pebbles in your knees.
-Picnics in the park, with grass between your toes and trying your hardest not to let the napkins blow away in the wind.
-Styrafoam cups with Country Time Lemonade
-Movie nights in the park, slapping mosquitoes away as you focus intently on the giant projector screen
-Wasting time in Dollar Generals and Grocery stores to stay out of the heat
-Having super-soaker wars with your friends and their siblings
-the slightly irritating “smat-smat-smat” of flip flops
-The joy of waking up knowing you have the whole day to do whatever you want
