I love the summer.

Here in Nova Scotia warm dry days are precious.

When they come, I’m compelled to do everthing possible.

Well. Sleeping and eating are low on my list of things to do on a sunny warm summer day.

I need to be up, on my feet and outside.

Riding. Walking. Swimming. Boating Surfing.

Bikes, horses, trails, lakes, rivers and oceans all become more welcoming playgrounds.

I generally feel bad though.

When I’m out doing that stuff, my attention is taken away from things that normally have it.

They end up feeling unimportant, neglected and lonely.

In the winter, they play a huge role in my life. I’m always with them, always holding them close.

They take my breath away a little bit.

I’m excited when they light up.

I feel agitated when I can’t find them.

It’s no wonder given how much time I spend gazing at them.

But in the summer?

I leave my phone behind and just go and play.

The best part of all this is when I get back to the car.

Sure the activities are fun. Pretty views, physical challenges and a sense of accomplishment all are part of the kinds of things that I really get into in the summer.

But the best part is how my phone is lit up after being away from it for hours at a time.

The damn thing’s like a dog who has missed it’s person for a few days.

The damn thing is losing its mind with excitement.

Alerts, notifications and little red circles are flashing everywhere.

Onece, my phone was so happy to see me that it peed on the floor a little bit.

Given that it lacks both a bladder and urine, I was pretty flattered.

Distance does make the heart grow fonder.

And time away from the endorphin trickle of noticing that other people think about us, notice us and like what we do gets turned onto a full deluge when we leave our devices to go play.

Even though likes and messages are the icing on life’s cake, go do stuff. You can’t have the sizzel without the steak.

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