By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
For fans of the Seinfeld television series, few scenes were funnier than when Jerry and
George were pitching their idea for a television show to the NBC executives and when
asked what it was about, they simply said “Nothing”. When thinking about this week’s
column, I was struggling for a title and suddenly, I thought, “Why not write a column
about nothing?” Just some random thoughts about the mundane things that happen
around this time each year. We have reached the halfway point in the year and the
resolutions that we made at the beginning of the year are a faint memory and the
pounds that we pledged to lose, have either disappeared or are still around, with maybe
a few more added to the mix.
Also, around this time of year, the weather reaches its pinnacle with hot, muggy days
and no motivation to get outside and complete the many “summer” projects that we
planned. We await the weekends and instead of sweating out eighteen holes on the golf
course, we find ourselves planted in our recliners, watching professional golf and
drinking beer. There are the occasional thunderstorms that pound away and rip the
limbs from the trees and the blinds from the decks. And while we welcome the rain, it
only increases the humidity and destroys any remaining motivation to pick up the limbs
from the yard.
Even driving is a challenge, with construction delays and orange cones lining the
highways. The long-awaited trip to the beach is slowed to a crawl causing hour-long
delays with the kids in the backseat, asking the ubiquitous question, “Are we there yet?”
About the time you are just a few miles from the overpriced beach house, the breaking
news announces that sharks have been sighted along the coast and all swimming has
been banned for the week. Finally, after a week of mini-golf, sunburn, and overeating,
you load the car for the trip home and run into even longer traffic jams.
The kids are slowly realizing that what seemed like a never-ending adventure, is quickly
more than half over with the ringing of school bells soon to be heard. The parents are
also surprised at how fast the summer seems to fly by and if they are ready for the
drama and hectic schedules that await them.
While it seems mundane and repetitive, the “dog days of summer” are also a time of ice
cream cones and summer romances, a concert in the park, and fireworks on the 4 th .
First jobs and new friendships, mixed with baseball and picnics. Some things will not
have meaning for many years and some people will only be remembered when we open
the file, marked “The Summer of 2024”. What seemed like nothing at the time will be
etched into our brains as some of the most significant events in our lives.
Have fun, enjoy life, take time to reflect, and remember that even nothing can be
Amazing!