A Simple Summer

I grew up during the end of a simple time. You played all day, drank water from a hose and stopped only long enough to use the bathroom before running back out to freedom. It was a time where parents did not have to worry about their children playing outside. The only thing that mattered to the grownups was that the first streetlight did not beat the kids home. When I was a child nothing excited me more than those two months of reprieve from schoolbooks and homework. Every day of summer break I would wake up early, eat a bowl of corn flakes, watch the morning cartoons, and rush out the house to gather my friends. After the squad was assembled – with playing cards in the spokes, we rode to the woods. After finding the perfect spot, we would hide and seek in nature – unfazed by the increasing sweltering heat. Most of all it was a season of barbequed everything. From hot dogs, hamburgers, sausages, ribs- if you could grill it, it was eaten. The barbeques were a staple of summer; especially because moms and dads did not want to add extra heat to the house from cooking indoors. It was not uncommon to have one or more people cooking outside daily. The delicious smell of meat wafted through the air, making your mouth water at the thought of a hot dog nestled in a soft bun- snapping between your teeth when you took that first bite. The juicy grilled hamburger with cheese called to you- begging to be consumed and washed down with an ice-cold glass of Country Time or Red Kool Aid. Paired with the sides of summer, it complemented the decadent meat feast. To this day I am still nostalgic when I take my first bite of potato salad, baked beans, and baked macaroni and cheese when I barbeque in the summer.

As a child, the welcome invitation from my friends’ family gave me elation when I would get asked to enjoy the grilled bounty. From the meat treats, sweetness of the relish, the barbeque sauce in the beans and the ooey gooey goodness of the mac and cheese- summer barbeques made my inner fat girl happy. After the favorites were piled on, my friends and I would bless the food, sit on the cool grass with our plates between our legs and eat in silence while we savored each savory, smoky and sweet bite. It is next to impossible to pick just one favorite- when each complemented the other to make the entire meal special. Afterwards, we would lay on our backs, look at the clouds and make cloud stories while our food digested- then it was back on our bikes to create more summer shenanigans. After the food energy was spent, a welcome treat of an ice cream cone beckoned you as another invite was extended for dessert. The sweet creaminess of the Blue Bell or Drumstick ice cream complimented the waffle cone when you bit the bottom and slurped the melted goodness. Whether it was vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, or cookies and cream- each lick was sweeter and more satisfying than the last.

Summer barbeques was the time that the neighborhood became a village where it did not matter who you were born to- every child was treated and cared for equally and made to feel special. Summertime was freedom and the tastes and smells were heaven on earth. Those foods were friendship and fellowship- where every single item made the meal whole. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised that when we die, we will be welcomed with a barbeque cooked by our favorite people that went on before us. How joyous it will be to laugh, joke, and reminisce of when life was wonderful, special, and simple as a childhood summer.