Monday, July 19, 2010

The Price We Pay

Broom in the Park

Autumn in New York is my favorite. Winter isn't so bad. And Spring is lovely.

But in order to arrive at these fair seasons, we first have to survive Summer.

It's been brutal, lately. It has settled into the concrete. Recent rainstorms haven't done much to clear the air, which is thick and unmoving. The city feels gross, everything is sticky, and it smells. You become convinced the subway platforms are the very gates of Hell. You quite willingly pay $13 to watch a movie - ANY movie - if it means you can sit in an air-conditioned room for a few hours.

I realized that I am now happy when I walk through the doors of my office (as opposed to resigned & reluctant) because of that sweet, sweet AC that greets me every morning. Strange. Unsettling.

I found hope, though - a glimmer of hope - in an unlikely place: The GAP. Walking into their store on 42nd Street the other day, I noticed that floral sundresses and pastel tees had been replaced by navy button-downs, mustard yellow cardigans. Jeans, not shorts, were occupying the key display areas. It's the beginning of the Fall collection!

Now, I know it's still July, and I know we still have a long way to go before cardigan season. But I glimpsed the future at the GAP, and it was good.  A welcome reminder that autumn will come again.

Summer is nasty, but it's only a season. This heat, this humidity, this too shall pass. And in the meantime I keep telling myself that it's just the price we have to pay for the rest of the year.

2 comments:

Jennifer M. said...

Yeah!! Fall is my favorite time of year to! I love it when the fall fashions come out, the air turns crisp and cool, and the leaves start to change.

Yesterday we had a freak rainstorm here and I was so excited! It felt like fall for the afternoon instead of the awfully hot summer that is normal for this time of year.

Good luck surviving the rest of the summer. The other seasons will arrive soon enough! :)

KristyWes said...

Thanks, Jennifer! :) I know "there is a season for everything"...but some seasons just seem more exciting / less uncomfortable than others. Here's to fall!