Better Than Summer
The in-between time of late summer.
When things start to feel more real.
The moment August turns into September and your nervous system immediately feels more at ease.
The moment you start to long for cool autumn days and earlier evenings in with a good book.
When it’s not too hot to wear jeans, but not yet cool enough to wear a sweater.
The days when the rain finally comes to quench the thirst of the grass and the trees, after an August dry spell.
Making way for green before (if you’re lucky) the leaves change to the full spectrum of colors in late September.
The month when I stop getting strange looks for ordering my usual hot coffee instead of iced like the others.
The season when you’ve finally had enough of what’s on the surface and, instead, you long for what’s deep.
This is Better Than Summer.
Floating Lantern Ceremony. Hawaii. (Late Summer, 2025)