“Summertime and the livin’ is hot, humid and salt free.” At least that is what I heard the teen-aged waitress say. So I tried to cover up my confusion with the one weather joke I use when people complain it’s too hot in the summertime: Who would have thought it would be hot in the middle of July in Oklahoma? But she was trying to cover up her embarrassment. “I can’t believe I said salt free when I was trying to say sultry.” So it was not my hearing. She then went on to tell me that she could not wait to get off work because she had a million things to do tonight, and she was stressing out about it all.

I do not know which is worse: thinking one thing but saying another or saying something out loud you did not know you were thinking. Or is it saying the wrong thing when you thought you said the right thing, but it was the exact opposite of what you thought you were saying when you thought of it. Maybe we are all under too much stress, and the heat of the summer just frazzles us quicker. And whatever happened to the summertime and the livin’ is easy?

I guess I have to go back to the days of my childhood and youth, before my first summer job, to find when the livin’ was easy.  Those were the days of swimming in the neighbor’s pool or in the neighborhood lake behind my uncle’s house. Those were the days of Scout camping trips, Vacation Bible Schools and family time at church. Those were the days for reading National Geographic, comic books, and adventure stories. Those were the days of ice-cream trucks and popsicles under a tree. Those were the days we played ball in the street and came home for supper when we heard our names yelled down the block. (If you heard your middle name, it was too late.) So how stress free are the summers of our children and grandchildren these days? Are they stressed because we are stressed and hot? What does summertime living look like for today’s teens? Take one for an ice-cream cone and find out. Maybe we all need to read an adventure story, play with our friends, and go to church together more often.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Eat some ice cream. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage: