Loving this heat wave.
But there's a problem.
The weather still gets overcast and gloomy in the afternoon. I suppose I should be thankful since it's not
stormy, but still. This summer blue
skies have been few and far between. I
could use some blue sky action.
Clouds are fun. It
was nice at the beach the other day because the sun was so damn hot, so the
clouds were a welcome respite, except when we got out of the water because then
we were chilly.
Clouds can be hilarious.
As little kids we often stretched out in the cool grass and imagined
shapes in the clouds: dogs, dragons, scary faces, trains… My kids will tell you I'm a cloud watcher,
and I've missed highway exits because of it.
This is summer, though.
Occasional clouds are acceptable, but we've had about four weeks of the
same weather pattern. I understand the
temperature is pushing beyond ninety degrees, and that's a wonderful thing, but
I NEED BLUE SKY.
You know when the blue sky will come back? September 3rd, that's when. The day I have to return to work. The day I'll be inside at meetings all day
long. I'll start the day in the high
school auditorium, where there are no windows, then spend the afternoon in the
middle school large group room, where there are no windows, then spend time in
my classroom, where due to the ongoing construction I will no longer have
windows. I will actually still have
three windows, but they're New York tenement windows that will look out to a
brick wall a foot away.
I NEED BLUE SKY.
Maybe the blue sky will make its appearance the week I'm
taking classes all day long. That's
okay. There are windows at the
university. I walk to and from my car a
long, long, long distance since that school is under construction, too. Or maybe it'll happen on the days I have
appointments scheduled and will be stuck inside windowless offices, but at
least I'll get to see it walking to and from my car. I can live with that.
But please, Sun, listen to me. I'm begging you. I only have a few short weeks away from the
craziness that is my job. I will be
spending 184 days stuck inside a stagnant room full of children who don't know
what deodorant is or why they should bathe more than once a week. I won't be able to see outside anymore with
the new school abutting my classroom.
I'm not asking for World Peace or the Crown Jewels or a sudden
savant-like knowledge of biophysics.
I'm asking for some blue sky, a cloudless sunny day that
starts with the first light of dawn and ends at the pink haze of dusk. One day of blue so bright and so bold that it
hurts the eyes to see it. A sky so deep
teal that the ghost of the moon is visible.
A day of jet trails across the stratosphere and endless possibilities. A day to end the Blue Sky Blues.
I am truly loving the heat of summer, the open-toed shoes
and the sleeveless tops and the bathing suits and the sunglasses. But a straight day of 100% sunshine would
mean Summer is as dedicated to me as I am to it. It'll be like All Summer In a Day, only no one gets locked in the closet.
Come on, Blue Sky. I
have great faith in you!
