As we are slap bang in the middle of summer, also known as my happy place, I can’t help but remember my all-time favorite summer afternoons. Growing up in South Africa, land locked right in the middle, we would get nice hot summers. I didn’t grow up with air conditioning, I grew up sitting in front of a fan making funny noises into it. Then we upgraded to ceiling fans(ies) – again, air conditioning was not a thing. If not in front of the fan, my sisters and I would be in the swimming pool or running through the sprinkler system just for fun. All this was endless amounts of summer shenanigans, but none of these activities was the highlight of my youthful summers.
Late summer afternoons, a light breeze would rise, my parents would cut up some ice-cold melon for us to enjoy outside. Wrapped up in a beach towel, tired of playing and being in the sun, hungry and ready for some ice-cold delights, with a cool summer breeze to top it all off, those are the sweet hypothetical cherries on top of my childhood summer afternoons.
Later in my life, my summer afternoon memories were made with my best friend on the beach drinking cider and sneaking a cigarette while we watched the sunset and soak up the last bit of our obsessive tanning for the day. Those summers remind me of a fun and carefree time in my complicated young adulthood. Days spent tanning, calamari burgers for dinner, sneaking cigarettes, dancing and of course, drinking. Feeling like we have the world at our feet and that we can make all our dreams come true. Having a natural confidence in who I was that I feel I lost as I grew older, and summers turned from fun and carefree days to worrying about my weight and pondering summer romances.
At 43, I can safely say my life has come full circle with an extra bit of flare. All the resolutions to the issues of my young adulthood and all the wonderful carefree moments of my childhood finally came together in what I like to call my “no fucks forties”.
Summers are now often spent alone on the beach, loving my body, stretchmarks and all, just chilling and recharging. I’ve quit smoking and drinking for a healthy and happy lifestyle. Sometimes my summer afternoons are spent with friends, and I leave sun kissed and my cup full ready for the week to come.
I love summer afternoons. They have shaped me into the women I am today. They represent a love for nature and an internal peace that I immediately activate once the sun hits my skin and I let myself be free and enjoy a lazy summer afternoon. Here’s to all the beautiful, hot and informative summer afternoons gone and those still to come.
Live, love, laugh, let go and light up the world in your own unique way.
With love, always
Ané
