Summer Love-In: Any Other Summer, Part II
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Anna K is the newest recruit to team Any Other Wedding and she is already busy subverting our preconceptions of internet dating, wedding blogs and, erm, civil servants. Here, she takes a break from the world of weddings to take us back to that time, that summer, when husbands and weddings and blogs were nothing but a hazy, distant glimmer, and life was so much simpler...
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| Image by Lucy Stendall Photography |
I still moved awkwardly, all elbows and knees, that summer. I wasn’t a kid, and I wasn’t yet an adult, drowning in energy, purpose and conviction, with gangly limbs that had no hope of channelling it. Feelings took me hostage and said “This is it. This is what it’s like to be grown up. This is the rest of my life.”
That was the summer I learned not to wish my life away.
I made older friends, that summer, friends who read newspapers and discussed issues and politics and feelings. I tried to keep up, but I was woefully inadequate, my opinions shaped by the headlines of newspapers I always bought but never read, my talk displaying certainty about feelings I hadn’t ever had.
That was the summer I learned that how you say often trumps what you say.
I fell into deep wonder, that summer. With a girl who had curly hair and who danced like the wind, who had a laugh like magic and who believed you should always be free, who cut my hair and who gave me my first pair of heels and my first tequila slammer, who smelled of suntan lotion and of Issey Miyake. Who carried me home when I was sick and who told me I could be loved, and love back.
That was the summer I learned I was good enough.
I found a boy, that summer, in that small town surrounded by lakes and mountains. We held hands and sat by the river in the late afternoon sunlight. He showed me what my new body could do, and he showed me how far I could jump, both feet in, with no regard for the fall. I told him I loved him. “I don’t love myself, so I can’t love you” he said.
That was the summer I learned to use my words wisely.
{There's still one more to come! Come back later for Clare's post, and if you missed it earlier don't forget to check out Aisling's post from this morning}
{There's still one more to come! Come back later for Clare's post, and if you missed it earlier don't forget to check out Aisling's post from this morning}
9 boats moored
That is beautiful :-) I wish I could recount my summers in such a wonderful way. You have a way with words lady xxx
ReplyDeleteAnna, my words to describe this are greatly inferior....all of you need to write, write and write x
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys are good!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We were really scared about submitting these, as our poor little naive 17-year-old summer selves would be out for all to see...but we loved writing them!
ReplyDeleteEspecially excited about Clare's coming up (sorry Clare...)
Anna, I don't like you anymore. My post is on a similar theme... but nowhere as good as these! You've all put me to shame :)
ReplyDeletePressure, much Anna?!
ReplyDeleteIf I can remotely come close to what you guys have done I will be very proud. I've read them both before but they still give me goosebumps!
And Linsey, I can't wait to see your post - I bet it's brilliant if the rest of your stuff is anything to go by...
Oh Mrs K. If I said prayers at night, I would be thanking the stars above that you're my friend and that you're our oh-so-supreme blogging buddy.
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Ha ha Clare, my baby blog had been sorely neglected and the post for this was given far less attention than it deserved as my work has become the most mental place ever recently = no time for me!! Loving yours though
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous.
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