Posted by Well, I’m not even close to being caught up with recounting all the fun things I’ve done this summer so far! Even so, I thought I’d let loose a few thoughts I always have around this time of year.
It’s bittersweet to me. Summer is my favorite season and my depression tends to be seasonal, so it comes back around late September. Obviously, as a water park enthusiast, knowing that it’s the last few weeks of outdoor season right now makes me sad. We’ve got one fun holdout though — the Provo Rec Center announced that their outdoor pool and slides will stay open through October so long as the weather is good! Also, there is usually at least one water park that stays open for that Saturday after Labor Day weekend, September 12th, and this year it looks like it’ll be Cherry Hill! It is frustrating though that most water parks close so early, especially considering that summer doesn’t officially end until September 22nd. Community parks grow silent as children go to school, and splash pads stop turning on. Honestly, it’s kind of depressing to see. But thus it is.
With grad school starting, managing my time such that I can still go to Lagoon on the weekends will be essential. I look forward to Labor Day weekend, which (I all goes according to plan) should be an intense few days of water sliding! Plus, the Utah state fair is coming up, and if it doesn’t get cancelled then I am definitely going. And I need another zoo trip before the summer is fully over. After that, it’s time for fall festivals and fairs, and riding rides at Lagoon as much as possible. I don’t know what this year will hold, but after Lagoon closes around Halloween, it’s usually a time to buckle down and focus on Disney Imaginations and IAAPA, while riding indoor water slides and the Ferris wheel at Scheel’s. The zoo remains open as well as arcades, the aquarium, and I think the aviary. I also want to go to Crystal Hot Springs to ride their heated slides this winter, which I haven’t done yet. During a normal year, I’d also have hope of getting to a theme park in California during winter break, though I’m not optimistic for this round (maybe I could go to the zoo?) Then comes the “waiting for March” period, in which I desperately look forward to Lagoon’s opening for the season.
It’s not fall yet, of course — we still have a few more weeks of my beloved, happy summertime! And while a huge part of me hates fall, there’s another part of me that sees beauty in the striking orange and yellow of dying leaves. Fall is a time for horror, for darkness, for contemplation; for dreaming of summer and of faraway worlds. And for that, I will accept that my happy time is coming to an end, and my dark time will begin. Somehow, I’m all right with that this year. I’m looking forward to visiting pumpkin patches and watching horror films. Maybe it’s because it wasn’t quite the year I hoped it would be, and I want 2021 to be better. Regardless, I’ll squeeze every last bit of fun out of summer, batten down the hatches, and look forward to spring.