Summer Is My Time of Year

For as long as I can remember, summer has been my time of year. It’s the season where my rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is generally the least active, with pain and stiffness subsiding a bit.

My bones love the heat and don’t even seem to mind the humidity.

Warmer weather soothes my RA

While the beneficial effects of summer have weakened as I age, I still notice the difference when the warm weather comes.

Even if I stay mostly inside during winter (which I also did partially due to the pandemic), I still feel the aches of the cold and the stiffness that comes with it.

Winter drains my energy like a battery going dead. But when summer comes, I feel a boost and delight in the recovery that it provides.

5 ways that I enjoy summer

I try to do more in summer, but I also try not to do too much. Because I’m feeling better, it’s easy to overextend myself.

So, I’m thoughtful about how much I enjoy my summers so that I don’t pay the price of exhaustion or flaring my RA.

1. Swimming

Our community’s outdoor pool opens during the summer. For me, a daily visit to do my aquatic exercises is a top priority. If I do nothing else in a day, that will be it. I only miss days with bad weather or if we happen to go away.

The water is warm on my joints and I always feel better after completing my exercises. Afterward, I like to sit on the pool deck and get a little bit of sun to warm my joints.

2. Patio time

Our condo apartment has a beautiful patio on a quiet courtyard that my husband, Richard, enhances with a large raised bed for vegetables, pots growing tomatoes, and an assortment of gorgeous flowers.

To me, it is a little piece of heaven. My second priority of every day is to spend some time sitting on the patio. I always feel calmer and more relaxed if I have some time soaking in the beauty and watching nature.

Recently, we watched a bunny hopping through the grass and a hummingbird came to visit and drink some nectar from our flowers.

3. Rolls in the neighborhood

Especially as winter turns into spring, I love taking rolls through our neighborhood to enjoy the changing of the seasons and the awakening of the beautiful plants and gardens.

As the weeks pass, different flowers show their colors, and the trees bloom. There’s always something new to see and enjoy when I take the time to stroll through the area.

4. Outdoor dining

When the weather warms, the outdoor dining patios open and so does a world of good food and people-watching.

Ordering in during the winter is fine, but there’s so much to see and appreciate while dining outdoors. I like being out of the fray of the sidewalks, but still being able to watch what is going on — especially with a delicious glass of wine!

5. Local excursions

As the pandemic improves, I imagine that I’ll be wandering wider than I have in a while.

I’d love to go outside my neighborhood to other parks and even the zoo. I don’t have to go far to enter other worlds of wonder while still enjoying the warmth of summer weather.

I appreciate the relief of summer

During summer, when my body feels some relief from the RA, there’s so much to do and see outside. I treasure this time when it’s easier for me to enjoy going out.

It occurs to me that I may need to move to a warmer climate for my RA someday and I definitely do hate the miserable, gray cold of winter. But I also know that I appreciate my summers more when they come with winter’s costs.