Spring is over (already)

Summer has peaked in a bit the past couple of days, as if to tell us, 'hey, I'm gonna be hitting ya'll with hot weather and absurd humidity real soon, so enjoy what few nice days you have left.' Meaning, the last couple of days have been too hot for this time of the year. The weather changes so fast in this part of the country it invites constant complaining. I don't even have to leave my apartment or watch the news or even check weather.com to know what is going on with the weather. I just need to check my newsfeed on facebook.

I remember last year around this time I was settling in for what was a very hard summer. I was still reeling from the ending of my relationship, I was adjusting to living with my sister (not a bad thing, but moving is always an adjustment) and one of the most stifling summers in recent memory was beginning to flex its muscles.

And I was so used to being in the part of town I am now back in, with lots and lots of trees (and thus shade). And certainly some traffic, but not shopping center type traffic. My sister lives in a nice neighborhood but it is next to an insane shopping area of town, I think the people who designed the layout were drunk when they submitted their final plans. And since the entire development, including the residential area where she lives, is so new, what few trees there are, are very very new. Not saplings, but not much more than that. So, bad traffic, lots of concrete, new construction, retail shops, no shade at all. The saving grace was of course it was my sister, and niece, I lived with. And I was so very well taken care of.

I certainly enjoy autonomy, but I also miss companionship. Being here in my apartment and jobless, it is easy to feel disconnected, like an island set adrift from humanity.

And back to my original thought. My existence seemed hardest during the long cold winter we endured. I was stuck, sometimes literally, in my apartment. Without a necessity to leave, I would just stay. But it was winter, everyone was miserable so I could make it work.

Fall and what spring we have had were easier. But I feel a brutal summer getting ready to hit. If that is the case, well, not sure what I'm going to do. Put up with it of course, but how to stay mentally connected and in touch while waiting and preparing for the fall. Perhaps some trips to the boat are in order, maybe trips to the pool or other ways to actually get some sun for once.

Yeah, my life is easy in many ways these days, but don't let anyone fool you, being jobless is hard. I empathize with the many countless people going through the same thing and who have been going through it longer than I have.