Today is the first official day of Summer, but when the outside temperature reaches 75 degrees or more, that's plenty warm for me. I know some people can't wait for hot sticky weather, but I'm not one of them. I dread it.
Give me Fall or Winter and I'll be a happy camper. It always seems like Fall lasts such a short time and Summer is so long in comparison. Hot weather doesn't energize me. It makes me feel sluggish and all my incentive evaporates.
I know if I'm to enjoy Fall weather again, I'll have to endure this hot spell. Thank goodness for air conditioning. I don't know how some of us grew up without it!
When summer comes 'round each year, I'm reminded of the song, Summertime, which was my first contest solo when I was in junior high school. I was very nervous, so to help me relax, two of my choir buddies took me on a long walk before I was scheduled to sing. The only problem was that we walked right up until the time I was due to stand in front of the judges. When we arrived back at Walnut Ridge High School, our vocal instructor was frantic, but we'd returned just in time. I sang in front of three judges and a room full of people, including my teacher, fellow vocal students, and my parents. To my great surprise I received a superior rating. Our teacher could hardly be upset with us after that. She never offered reprimands to us, though she would have had every right to do so.
Two Christmases ago, I searched for, and found, my former vocal teacher's address and sent her a card. I enclosed a letter thanking her for encouraging my love of music and told her how much her support meant to me all those years ago. She wrote back and said that was the kind of letter teachers wait for all their lives.
A bittersweet note: My former music teacher, Mrs. Heffner, is now in a rehabilitation facility. She has some major health challenges and will not be able to live in her own home any longer. She has a beautiful singing voice and is a talented pianist. It's difficult for me to realize her singing and playing days might be coming to an end. She was not just my teacher, she was also my friend.
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