Out of all four seasons, the one that I detest most is summer, which is currently approaching us, much to my dismay and frustration. Summer brings a massive collection of elements that makes me want to hibernate for the subsequent months. If that were possible, I’d be likely to enjoy these nefariously hot days, free from the vile short temper that plagues my general attitude when subjected to excessive heat with little relief.

In reality, the opportunities for socialization come close to compensating for the overwhelming amount of contempt I have for summer. However, there is no equilibrium between the positives and negatives.

I don’t like the beach. I don’t like giving little kids money for bad lemonade. Great America no longer represents talking a walk on the wild side, but rather blowing a paycheck on tickets and refreshments like it’s a casino. At least at a casino, there’s a slim chance that you’ll win back some lost money. That’ll never happen at a theme park.

Concerts are already hot as it is, so despite the “summer concert series” in every tourist-heavy town, the pleasantly fulfilling musical experience is frequently marred by the pungent fragrance of body odor, stale beer and vomit. When John Mayer, Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews come to the Shoreline Amphitheater for an “Acoustic American” tour, I’ll be far from the “chill vibes” and auto-tuned falsettos echoing from that outdoor behemoth of a venue built on a Mountain View landfill.

My cynicism could be a perspective problem. Maybe I’m thinking of the wrong activities. If I were on a cruise ship to the Caribbean, or on an annexed Hawaiian beach, I might be having “fun in the sun.” Unfortunately, I don’t think most people can afford this kind of fun.

Another contributing factor to the summertime blues is my birthday. Like many people, I absolutely hate my birthday, and have spent it in an array of strange ways. Some of my recent birthday happenings have included drinking beer in a basement closet and writing a song during a relative’s wedding in Indiana, drinking beer in a shed in my neighbor’s backyard and drinking too much in my parked car while the party continued without me and getting in a fight with my then girlfriend. The inauthentic excessive special treatment just doesn’t work for me, so I resort to escapism. This has little to do with despising summer, aside from its calendar date, and is really just another number in the equation.

As we all know, regardless of how much evil there is in the world, the greatest part of life is that if you’re willing to fight for it, it can be exactly what you want it to be, and while things outside your control are nearly impossible to change, peace of mind can be achieved based on perspective.

The last thing I’d like to say is that while the key to happiness is different for everyone, what’s worked for me is to acknowledge reality, because no matter what, life goes on, but it definitely can never be taken too seriously.