Summer magic

I know…I know! I am called the umbrella person among friends. Although I don’t like the sun, I feel blest that we have just sunny days and monsoon rains within our year. Definitely, we don’t change clothing with the seasons, unlike countries in the temperate zone. Nor do we feel bogged down by heavy winter coats and what nots to keep ourselves warm against the freezing elements around.

I know…I know! It’s less than a month before June sets in and classes will resume. Still summer spreads its magical warmth and the sea beckons ever so alluringly despite aching sunburns and maybe a jellyfish sting or two. And romance, how it tickles the heart when summer is here. Youngsters frolic in the open spaces, going biking or just strolling along looking for the nearest ice cream shop. And maybe meet there by chance one’s secret hero or dream girl? Who knows what the carefree atmosphere may do to fluttering hearts and free spirits?

Aha! Creativity can spell the fulfillment of a dream. Girls are usually attracted by a guy who goes the extra mile to show how he feels. Be it a drive to an undiscovered spot that takes one’s breath away; or getting the right shade of her favorite color in a balloon or an ice cream cone. How about arranging for a picnic with the “barkada” to a beach of her choice? Maybe a sunset cruise where romance can predominate the dusk?

If she is into nature nurture, then a trip to Olango for some bird watching or a visit to a reforested area may put you in good stead.

Whatever it takes to win the attention – and the affection – of the girl of your dreams can best be done in the height of summer. So is it with girls who can have the best opportunity to show off their curves without looking outrageously flirty – at the beach, of course! Or in a volleyball game, where some interesting boys may be loitering nearby. It can also occur in youth symposia and seminars that take place in summer.

When you read this, I shall be flying home from Los Angeles with my sons and their families. They have been on a month-long (I caught up with them in Orlando, Florida, last April 30) trip through Vancouver (Canada), Seattle, Orlando, Palm Springs, then Los Angeles – with the four little ones: 5 year-old Meg, 3 year-old Noah, 2 year-old Sabrina and 1 & a half years old Liz! As I am writing this prior to my departure, I view my summer this year with a five-year-old perspective. Ah, to be small again and swirling in the heat of a Florida sun (without an umbrella, just a straw hat)!

Travel and summer go in tandem. But travel, romance and summer tend to bunch together well. Could be the lethargy that makes hearts prone to be in love or could be the new place that makes the moon look more luminous, the stars more sparkling, the air more bracing than back home. Whatever it is, summer and romance evoke each other’s presence, especially among young hearts with dream-filled thoughts of grand passions and eternal bliss.

Yet everything must come to an end…and so does summer magic. Soon we will be back to our usual pace at work and in school. But what is left of the fun and fling – like a May day eve’s mystical caress – will linger ever on one’s mind long after summer is gone.

Have a safe trip back home!