Benjamin Alire Sáenz has a quote about the season that I feel that I can completely relate to: “Summertime. It was a song. It was a season. I wondered if that season would ever live inside of me.”

Upon first reading this quote, I felt a few things come to mind. One of those things being how beautiful it is that something so short in length, something so apparently simplistic, could make ones’ mind do wonderful things. I also felt that it was nice knowing that someone out there questioned the validity of a season that most people countdown the days until.

I am not one of those people. You see, there are elements of the summer that I enjoy and do so greatly, notably baseball, cookouts, fireworks and the brief but welcomed break from the rigmarole of what can be ones’ day-to-day existence. However, while some looking forward to being out of school or whatever have you, I find myself looking forward to the season to follow.

Anyways, I digress…you see, on Thursday, Ashley and I were sitting around talking about the validity that we seek. The validity we long for in social situations as well as the feeling of wanting to be appreciated for ones’ efforts to name a few.

The world is constantly evolving and we, as people, must do the same. Call back up the above quote if you would please?

Where the heat, humidity and the sun beats down on the pavement and our pupils, one often time gets lost in the fact that soon, all things season related will change. The kids will be back at school, athletes suiting up for their respectively sports and slowly, but surely, the weather will start to cool.

So, what do we do? Do we try to hang on to that song in our head that has been dulled to that of a whisper? Or do we adapt and accept the rustling leaves as the new soundtrack to our lives?

I know that this all seems like a jumbled, existential mess and you know what, you’re absolutely correct! Through all of this rambling, I still find myself struggling to find the words to fully convey what it is I’m trying to say. That feeling of knowing what you’re feeling internally but can’t quite find a way to vocalize it or type it up…

I’ll try to throw a ribbon on this incoherent column…while we seek validity and acceptance, while we sit and long for appreciation for our work, our actions, our efforts, do seasons not do the same? If we are constantly looking forward to a time of year, an event coming up or whatever have you, what are we missing? Can we not accept that now is the time and that every day, every single day, we should do something to show the world around us, the people around us, that we see them, we hear them and that we appreciate them? You tried and failed? So what, at least you put forth the efforts! You made it through another day without completely breaking down in tears or a panic attack? Congratulations! We do everything that we can to feel important every day and, most of the time, these things go completely and shamefully unnoticed…

I see you, whomever you may be and in order to evolve, to adapt to the consistent changes occurring all around us, we must be cognizant that, at the root of it all, we are all trying…