Midwest Summer Evenings

I need a Midwest summer evening. If you live or have lived in the Midwest, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a soul calming, peaceful type of evening. Where you drive down the main road of a small town and everyone is resting on the front porch and everyone's front yards are perfectly manicured, flowers blooming in the gardens.

I grew up in one of those nondescript small towns in the Midwest. There was something about those evenings that put life all in perspective. Your belly was full from a homecooked dinner, your homework was done and the end of school was in sight. The lilacs were blooming in the park as the baseball teams began practice in anticipation of a full summer season.

I was free to ride my bike whereever I wanted in the evening. And I could ride anywhere, as traffic was minimal. It was one of those towns where they "rolled up the sidewalks" at six p.m. You didn't dare misbehave anywhere you went, as everyone knew your parents and your parents believed any reports of misbehavior reported to them.

On those rare nights when I wasn't kicked out of the house for a few last hours of outdoor play, I was put in the bathtub right after dinner. How refreshing it was to come out with all of the day's sweat and dirt scrubbed off! Into the jammies I went and then out to the front screen porch to sit with my family on the glider to watch the world slow down and settle in for the night. When darkness fell, it was time for bed, but not before a bowl of ice cream to keep my tummy full for the night.

I need a Midwest summer evening again. I think about it every day as I leave work, facing a traffic filled drive home. I wish for just a bit to go back home for one of those evenings. A quiet, soul calming, warm bath and cool breezy, summer evening.