As a professional writer and avid reader, I must confess that both can be extremely challenging to pull off successfully during the dog days of summer.
The problem is that within that hot and sultry span between early July and early September, it also happens to be the absolute best time to be out and about. And as I also happen to be an outdoorsy person when the weather is nice, especially compared to much of the other time in the Pacific Northwest where I take up residence, I want to be anywhere but sitting at my desk typing away. Or curled up on the couch reading a book, even a good one.
Not when the call of the outdoors beckons me, much like the urge to go inside and cuddle up to a warm fire when the winter weather sets in. But that's for another blog posting. Here we're talking about summertime and all the joy that it brings, tempting me, such as festivals, fairs, concerts; not to mention barbecues, picnics, parks, the beach, the ocean (I happen to be less than an hour's drive away and cannot help but succumb to this at least three times every summer--usually resulting in an overnight stay or more each time, as my wife often insists.
But mainly during the dog days of summer, I simply enjoy the sunlight, breathing in the warm air, taking walks or runs around the neighborhood, conversing with other outdoor people, most that I may not see at all during the rest of the year when I am usually holed up in my office hard at work to meet the various deadlines my editors never let me forget.
Ahh, but those good old dog days of summer. Sometimes I have little choice but to pretend the weather is not so nice in order to keep writing or reading something I started.
In most instances, though, I prefer to enjoy the heart of summertime for all the wonderful things it presents and let the rest of year take care of itself.
How much writing or reading do you get done during the dog days of summer?
Is it hard or not so?
3 comments:
Perhaps I'm lucky. Down here, the dog days of summer are the absolute worst time to be out and about. It's killing hot so I stay home and write. We get out in fall and spring, and through much of the winter here. but not during the summer.
I seem to get more of my writing done during the summer months, when I can sit outside with pen and paper than I do during the winter.
Winter I have tendency to read more.
We have 12 months of summer here in the Caribbean so the seasons don't affect my reading or writing inclinations. I don't enjoy going out in the blistering heat, but during the northern winter when our weather cools off a bit I love being outdoors.
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