It's summertime.
At least, that's what the calendar is telling me, with the first "official" day of the summer of 2025 having just passed us on June 20, a week ago.
Yep, we passed the curve of that inverted S a few weeks ago, my man.
Wait wait wait, "inverted S"? What the hell are you talking about, Derek?
Oh, haven't I explained that before? Well....
When I was a kid going to school in Conquest, the Kindergarten room had a reading area in the southwest corner of the room. It was carpeted with really 'of the times' red carpeting, there were books and blocks and a fair number of other toys to have fun with, and on the wall was a 12-month calendar. January through May was at the top of this calendar, going from left to right in an almost circular shape, and then the summer months of June, July and August were down, to the left, and tilting downward.
The months looked like they were constructed in the form of an inverted letter 'S'.
And June arrives right on that first curve heading downward.
So yeah, every time June rolls around, I always tell myself, "Welp, we've turned the corner on that inverted S. I guess summertime's really here for another year! Where's my flip-flops...?"
And so we've indeed arrived. Summertime.
However, something seems new and unknown. It feels to me like as if this year just hits different. And do you know what I believe it to be?
Happiness.
Call me a hippy, call me a softie, but I genuinely believe that to be the case here.
I'm happy.
These past twelve months have seen some significant changes in my life. At this time last June, my coworkers and I at the paper were busy clearing out the building and leaving it vacant for the new owners. I can vividly remember actually being there on Canada Day because I was the last one who had a few boxes to grab and take away. I sat in a chair in the middle of the back room and just remembered. I remembered starting my job there, I remembered going through every known human emotion there, and I remembered the growth and the maturity that I experienced there; real 'trial by fire' kind of stuff at times, my friends.
There was something melancholy to it all, and to be perfectly honest with you, I WAS sad. But I also knew there were new challenges and new paths in front of me.
Fast forward a year, and things are pretty damn good right now. Working from home did take some getting used to, and I still get cabin fever sometimes and physically HAVE to leave my apartment and go for a walk around town just to see some other humans, but it's still pretty great.
Aside from the altered professional side of my life, things in my personal life have progressed as well. The biggest thing being that my brothers and I finally sold our longtime family home in Conquest earlier this year. There again, it was a sad thing on the surface, but it was also completely necessary. It was long time to move on. People make a house a home, and when those people are gone, like my mom and dad, then a house goes right back to being just a house.
I've also been reminded by friends and family as of late that yours truly arrives at that gold and shiny gate in late August when I arrive at the big '4-0' on my birthday. This old dog is turning 40. It's still a couple months away, and I'm sure I'll take full stock of it when the day gets closer, but even right now, I find myself asking just where do the years go? Let me put it to you this way: I lost my dad when I had just turned 28 years old. I've spent almost all of my 30's without my father; it'll be 12 years this August since he passed away.
Again, just where the hell do those years go, anyway...?
But again, I like where I'm at in my life. I'm just about to start enjoying my summer vacation, where I'm going out to Alberta for a few days, as well as up to Candle Lake for another few days, as well as a day trip to Moose Jaw and a weekend family reunion thrown in for good measure, and you wanna know something? I say bring it; bring it all and let me experience everything that comes with it. I've reached a point in my life where I'm not worrying about the 'What Ifs?' anymore and I'm not letting myself be tied down with stress and anxiety.
I tell ya, folks, it's really a freeing kind of thing, this whole "Embracing Life" stuff.
I'm really, really looking forward to what this summer may have in store for me, my friends and my loved ones.
I hope this summer brings the rest of you joy, happiness, and unforgettable moments.
Because at the end of the day, isn't that what life is supposed to be about?
I think it does, so make your life unforgettable.
That's what I'm trying to do.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
