Out of the Office: Bring on summer

By Jacob Dye • April 20, 2023 1:30 am
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Photo courtesy Sarah McMinn Snow falls on tire tracks and puddles of water in the mud outside the home of Jake Dye in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Photo courtesy Sarah McMinn Snow falls on tire tracks and puddles of water in the mud outside the home of Jake Dye in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Though it may not look like it outside right now — snow is falling outside the window as I write this — spring is certainly imminent.

I’ve had my car in two-wheel drive instead of four since the start of the month on roads largely devoid of ice and snow. The driveway at my home is a muddy mess that’s already claimed a pair of shoes. The sun is already up when I wake up each morning.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a breakup this messy, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

All my life, I’ve heard people talk about seasonal depression — how in the winter months they feel lower than the brighter summers. Maybe because I’m a believer in the winter wonderland, maybe because I feel most alive at 2 a.m., I’ve never really connected with the idea. I love the dark winter months.

This year, however, I’m looking out the window and feeling pretty stoked. I’m more than ready to finish shedding the weight of all of this snow — to leave the winter behind and move into some warmer weather.

I’m not sure how much of it really has to do with the sun or the snow. There’s a whole lot worth looking forward to in the coming months, and each muddy step is a muddy step closer to a brighter horizon.

I’m ready to get out and sit with friends by a fire at Captain Cook Park, to watch from afar as boats hit the river for the fishing season, to get out for some road trips on roads with less chance of mortal peril, to get out for some walks with my dog and to catch what is a truly exciting slate of movies and video games dropping in the summer months.

This oncoming season also comes as I’m feeling better physically than I have in years after a few months actually doing exercise — something I hadn’t meaningfully engaged with since 2014. Maybe this is the year my bike makes it out of the garage.

I don’t lack the self-awareness to realize that as soon as the temperature starts really creeping up and the bugs start coming out I’m going to be wishing for a return to snow and ice. At least for today — with mud on my shoes and snow falling down into rain — the only emotion I’m finding inside is excitement, and I’m more than ready for what this summer will bring.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

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