It’s summer here. Translation: I’m a walking sweat factory.
Or, as I prefer to think of it, “My thighs are so sexy, they can’t stop touching each other.”
My tendency in summer seems a little counter-intuitive to me. I feel gross and sweaty and hot (temperature-wise, not rawr-wise) and uncomfortable most of the summer (which in Texas is basically May through September). But summer is when I most want to dress up or engage in traditional beauty regimens. I wear jewelry more often. I give myself regular pedicures and paint my toenails. I am more likely to style my hair. I wear lipstick.
I steal hair clips. Oops.
I also – inexplicably – find myself more likely to exercise. One might imagine that I would want to sit in front of a fan and do nothing, but no. I do more Pilates. I dance around the house more. I am more likely to go to the gym.
I am also more likely to take on summer projects, like my Getting It Together series. Apparently, it’s not enough that I discover my own beauty. I need to surround myself with it. This will be fun.
One thing that does make sense to me is that I tend to eat better. I tend to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables – particularly if they can be eaten cold – and I eat less heavy food. I often lose weight in summer, not because I’m particularly trying to do so, but because I’m taking in healthier things and drinking more water.
I think the slower work schedule of summer slows me down enough that I remember to take care of myself. Maybe that’s what all these seasonal habits tend to be. I’m not running in three or four different directions at once. I can take a break.
And taking a break is beautiful.
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M. Suzanne Terry 
Sitting under the eaves, trying to finish the first of five assignments before I finish my diploma and the rain is beating down on the window. Hard to believe others are struggling with months of unbroken sunshine!
But I agree, summer begs for a bit of prettifying. It invites healthy meals and outdoor pursuits. And most of all, it’s the slower pace. The wonderful opportunity to pause, focus on self-care for a while and smell the proverbial roses (do you have roses in Texas or is it too dry?)
We can grow roses pretty well where I am, because it’s more humid. But in west Texas and the panhandle where I grew up, they were almost impossible. If the arid climate didn’t get them, the regular 25-mile-an-hour wind would.
I love the slower pace. I think you’re right. That’s what brings out my self-care.
I’m an oddball in that summer is the season I am least likely to want to be outside in (unless it involves a pool and an umbrella drink). It’s just so hot. There’s not anything I want to do so badly that I need to be outside when it’s in the triple digits.