Yesterday evening, driving home in a cluster of heavy traffic, I found myself behind an SUV with a license plate sporting a heart symbol followed by SUMMR. “I love summer,” I smiled and said aloud, because I do and I always have, though it has been decades since summer presented itself in its most memorable childhood form. Stretching itself before me with all the potential and promise I could imagine, it was inconceivable that school would ever begin again, or that September would arrive, though it always did. But the enchantment of unmeasured days and late nights accompanied by the scissors-song of crickets and cicadas never left me.

As adults, we find other reasons to love summer. As so many of us are creatures of the 9-5 world, no matter the season, we are more creative in doing so, and find its charm in simpler ways. First and foremost, summers provide the gift of “more hours in the day.” Daylight hours, anyway. We sit down to dinner much later than we do in the colder months, and with an incredible bounty of freshness from local farmers markets and friends. We grill, enjoy a glass of tea, linger as dusk creeps in around the edges of the setting sun.

Summer brings the heated drama of thunderstorms, and I embrace their cooling rush and welcome rain. I go to outdoor concerts. I read more, stay up later, socialize more often, and dread giving up my flip flops at summer’s end. The saddest day of the year for me is summer solstice in June. It’s all downhill—or shorter days anyway—from there. As lovely as fall is, it is hard to say goodbye to this season of idylls without a longing look back and a strong sense of nostalgia. I could not agree with that driver more.

I love summer. Maybe this year I will find ways to make it a part of even the coldest winter days. Memories and heart-felt feelings can do that! Summer is within.