What I Wish I Knew About Summer

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?

I have a mother who used to sell women’s work clothes. It wasn’t just that; she and my aunties brought us up with a good sense of fashion while at it. Other than therapy, it might be one reason I loved window shopping a bit much; doing color matches mentally and snagging deals, too good to be true.

Even when I had boring jobs, I felt alive whenever my wardrobe came alive. I wasn’t one to stick to the nominal colors of black, white, or grey. I would play with colors of the rainbow as long as I matched them well, and the clothes were a good fit.

So when I packed my luggage for North America, I was very invested in packing my clothes. I intended to continue my fashion exploits. I was in for a rude shock.

I moved to East-Central Canada four years ago. Well, for starters, the winters were pretty long. You spent most of the year making sure you kept warm than worrying about fashion.

Most people invested their time, effort, and money into that key part of survival. Looking good came second. There were those who managed both, but there weren’t very many. Sometimes it felt as if some people lacked any fashion sense at all. They just couldn’t be bothered.

What happened to my fashion sense? What happened to all those clothes I was determined to travel with?

A lot of my ‘summer clothes’ ended up occupying space. They were in storage for the longest time. Sometimes, I forgot I owned stuff. When I remembered, I gave some away. That’s what happens when most of your months are spent in sweaters, cardigans, leggings, jackets, and boots.

I sort of lost that thrill of going shopping to feed my fashion sense. What was the point? My shopping only added to the clutter.

Was there any advantage?

Well, I developed some sort of detachment. I certainly had new priorities. Keeping warm came first, and fashion came second. Sometimes, I achieved both simultaneously.

I redirected my spending. All that clothing allowance went elsewhere. I spent more money on skincare and healthy living.

It also forced me to travel light. Most times, my travel destination was the tropics. I left all my winter gear behind. With time, I learned to stock up recurrent destinations with suitable clothing; cold countries had all the thick clothing and warm countries had all the light clothing.

I also learned something from my fellow Canadians. Whenever summer showed up, they lived it to the full. There were parties, campings, carnivals, and all sorts. All fashion die-hards made sure that they wore everything they could in the warm months. After all, it was only a matter of time before winter came calling again.

I learned quickly to embrace the summer months as they did. The dark and cold months were just around the corner and they were far longer.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”

John Steinbeck