June is when the vibe in the air changes and my winter malaise magically melts. I wake from a hibernation that puts me out of social commission for many months of the year and I say good riddance to winter and its long, bipolar shoulder season. No more confusion when to put on a waterproof snowsuit or take my chances with shorts and flip-flops when heading out the door for the day. I tuck away my underutilized skis, my self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and my introverted moodiness until next winter to usher in a summer filled with serotonin kisses instead.

Serotonin is the extensively studied and well-known neurotransmitter and hormone that contributes to digestion and regularity, syncs our circadian rhythm, aids in learning and memory, promotes healing, and gives us energy. Serotonin helps us feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier, calmer. When the right levels are in our bodies, we experience pleasure and an overall sense of well-being. That’s why it’s often nicknamed the “happy hormone” and it helps me climb my way out of winter-drudgery and step surefooted into the joys of things to come.

When it’s winter, I’m a half-hearted, wannabe bus commuter who feels stapled to an uncomfortable chair breathing in heaps of pungent air. I pray for more personal space and would give up my firstborn for another inch free from gloves or someone else’s cold-weather neck gaiter. It’s only when the days get longer and warmer that I become a public transportation devotee stepping onto the bus with a backpack filled with altruism. I know my body is fueled properly overnight because I am able to ride to work with other humans and soak up the details of the landscape I normally overlook. I nest myself into a book and sip my coffee as if it’s an illicit happy-hormone cocktail chased with a ray of Schedule 1 sunshine. Life is good when the days get longer.

Soon I open the windows of my house to let in the fresh air of possibility and lilac. I smell Mother Nature’s breath of serotonin and its cousins dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. They tickle my skin and race through my body ready to seize the days of spring. This explains why I start doing my household chores singing like Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl halftime show or hop on my bike late at night to go on a full moon cruiser ride through town (both considered absolutely ridiculous to me in winter). Even taking out the trash before 7 AM becomes a rewarding experience that turns me on.

Full-blown summer creeps up overnight and it rightly gets the grand prize because it’s the season that always gives us opportunities to enjoy life’s glorious ride at a slower pace. Splashing and tubing down the river, an activity I expected to drop once I passed puberty, becomes exhilarating again. Laughing at third-rate horror movies during an afternoon matinee to escape the heat, an activity I assumed would fade faster than the adolescent friends I used to go with, continues to keep my mood light and silly. Hiking through quiet trails in the woods with my dogs, an activity I correctly anticipated would dominate middle age, routinely asks me to question how we conduct ourselves within nature. I have time to feel my place on earth and reflect on all the little things that make me part of the whole.

Even birthdays are grander in summer, and I use that as a childish excuse to buy as many fireworks as possible that won’t draw suspicion with the local fire department. I go on road trips with the kids and watch local parades in July with tears in my eyes. My family eats pounds of watermelon and all things strawberry-rhubarb to keep our bellies smiling all season long. We watch lightning storms, plunge in the cold river, and count shooting stars late into the night adding wonder and awe to already rewarding days.

The sunset evolves and changes her light by summer’s end that signals the finale is coming and when I wake to the first crisp, cool morning late in the season, I’m not quite ready to let the summer season go. Although I’m not looking for an endless summer forever chasing the sun and fun, I want a few more long, warm, flip-flop days to keep me well-nourished for what will soon be an endless winter in a few months’ time. Until then – Enjoy the ride!

Andrea Chacos lives in Carbondale, balancing work and happily raising three children with her husband. She strives to dodge curveballs life likes to throw with a bit of passion, humor, and some flair. She can be reached at andreachacos.com.