Matthew: Hey, Vivian! I hope your summer is going well, as well as it can go, given that it is the season of heatstroke, mosquitoes and humidity. This may just be me, but outside of the freedom from school, I fail to see why everyone goes crazy for this time of year. Am I missing something? 

Vivian: I don’t think you’re missing anything. The pure nastiness of summer is why it’s so fun. While it depends on who you talk to, one of the distinct charms of summer is the physical conditions it comes with. It’s a season for jumping in the creek, rolling around on the grass, checking for ticks afterward and inevitably getting a little sunburnt. 

While I’m not promoting reckless behavior, there is something innately freeing about being able to experience the great outdoors without time constraints. It’s fun to explore. 

Matthew: While I have an incredible amount of respect for childlike whimsy and exploration, I’m not quite sure why summer gets the credit for the wide variety of outdoor activities that can also be done, sometimes more comfortably, in fall and spring. 

Maybe it’s my inability to handle the heat, but I would much rather explore Mother Nature during those more transitional seasons, when the full range of our world is shown off in a relatively comfortable format. Plus, summer is the only season in which I have to change the very basis of my fashion or suffer the consequences, instead of just throwing a jacket on over what I want to wear to prepare for the cold.

Vivian: Fair point. But do other seasons really allow an appropriate amount of time to comfortably and truly get outside? Spring is slushy, gross and muddy here, and the weather switches on a dime. Spring weather can either be 80 degrees or a full-on blizzard. By the time it’s consistently warm, if it ever gets to that point, most of us have finals or other responsibilities to attend to first. That part of spring is also arguably the beginning of summer, dare I say. 

The same could be said for fall to a lesser degree, but arguably the best parts and weather of fall come at the cusp of fall and summer. Both of these seasons are just summer with more variability and less leisure time. 

Matthew: I’ll admit fall, which is my favorite season, and spring are both quite chaotic when it comes to the weather. Some of that can be chalked up to Minnesotan weather being characteristically chaotic. 

However, to the point about leisure time, that is only a problem because the school systems in the U.S. follow an antiquated schedule based on the agricultural calendar. Many students across the world have their breaks more evenly distributed throughout the year, allowing them to enjoy each season more. As such, I’m not sure the blame can be put on the other seasons for the lack of leisure time.

Vivian: Speaking from an American perspective, though, it is the schedule we’re most accustomed to. Whether our educational schedule is due for reform, and to what extent, is an entirely separate issue in and of itself. What I’m talking about here is the convergence of factors that summer gives us that justifies nostalgia, reverence and romanticism. It can’t be boiled down to just a long break from responsibilities, warm weather or the more gnarly aspects. 

Part of the lore and legacy behind it in our cultural imagination is distinctly American. People go crazy for summer because it holds an important place in culture as not only symbolizing youth, but also acting as a frame of reference for the passage of time and a coming-of-age narrative. Think of the media that surrounds summer, the great blockbusters like “Jaws,” the phenomenon of “Stranger Things,” or even the importance the Fourth of July holds. 

Matthew: That’s a very well-put point! I must admit most of the things that come to mind when I think of stereotypical American culture involve the summer, especially because I am a former marching band kid. I have seen plenty of patriotic parades. Although I do have my personal gripes with the weather, I respect the cultural importance of the season for both the nation and students. 

I think the other seasons don’t get as much hype for their potential because their reputations are more strictly tied to holidays or other events, such as winter and Christmas. After all, plenty of fun and exploration can be had sledding, skating and playing hockey, giving a different flavor of the same nostalgia. We are in the state of hockey, after all. 

I wonder if it is just the school schedule that allows for summer to act as this beacon in the calendar, but either way, perhaps I need to find some summer activities to get in touch with the season’s nostalgia again.