Enjoy the last days of summer in a dilapidated beach chair
Once again I am sitting in my old, run-down beach chair and thinking back to the summer that was soon coming to an end. It was one of the most beautiful summers I can remember. Every day seemed sunny and warm.
The last of our summer visitors are enjoying their last time on the beaches and in the sun. These visitors appear remarkably white, almost translucent. Those of us who are lucky enough to spend a lot of time on the beach call these people “August Whites”. This is not fair, of course, because it is obvious that these people have worked hard during the summer months. But why does everything have to be fair?
I always think of this time as my New Year’s Eve. As a retired teacher, this end of summer used to be the time when I could once again become part of the dreams and hopes of many young men and women. Now I can become part of the dreams and hopes of my wife, daughter and grandchildren. My last day at the summer beach is a great opportunity to reflect on the years that have passed and wonder what the future holds for all of us.
As we all know, we are entering an election cycle. It seems like it began about nine years ago with the 24-hour news coverage and the barrage of television commercials that outnumbered all the car commercials combined. Like many, I do not know how the election will turn out. Both candidates are trying to define themselves and each other in order to convince the majority that their way is the right way to lead our nation and, by extension, the world. The only way to decide who should lead our nation is to listen and read what the candidate or party platform stands for. Anything else is pure nonsense. By the way, this is the first time I have used the term “nonsense.” There are so many better terms.
Our economy is strong, but it stinks. Too many of my former students cannot find a job to support their family or even dream of buying a home. This is unacceptable. We have been in this recession since the pandemic. Many have suffered from this inflationary economy long before that. Some are doing well, but it is common knowledge that when the majority suffers while the minority thrives, it does not bode well for our future. Who or which party would better lead us out of this reality, I do not know. I pray that we all study both candidates to make our nation economically stronger. I also pray that we make the right decision.
As I sit in my dilapidated beach chair looking out at the remarkable blue-gray of the ocean, I wonder if our world will still be at war. We do not have a declared world war, but we seem to be in a time of unrest around the world. Terrorism has become synonymous with peace. I have trouble grasping this concept. At the end of the summer of 2024, will I be sitting here lamenting the same wars we have fought longer than any other war in our history? Will I be saddened by a new war, or will we all live at peace and united in what we call a free world? That future will be created by whomever we choose to lead us.
I smile when I realize that every year I enjoy the end of another summer in the same place. When I look at my sandals, hopefully lasting another summer, I realize my own mortality. When I was young, I thought I would live forever. Now that I’m older, I hope to hold on for another year so I can sit on my old, beat-up beach chair and wonder what the future holds for all of us. What the future holds for my wife, my daughter, my grandchildren.
Jim Fabiano is a retired teacher and author living in York, Maine. You can contact Jim at [email protected].
