In the summer of 1995, I worked a three month internship at The Warroad Pioneer, which I'm sorry to say has since ceased operation. This was the first professional newspaper that I worked for in my career, and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I had only worked at Bemidji State University's newspaper for about a year and half before landing the internship. At The Pioneer I gained experience in sports, feature, beat and government reporting. I designed pages, took and developed photographs and was responsible for community relations. The best part is that I remain friends with the owners nearly 30 years later.
Aug. 1, 1995
I have always been told that summers are a time of relaxation. A time to wander down a gravel road aimlessly, lemonade in hand. A time to kick back and relax with a good book in the backyard hammock.
You know what? I'm beginning to wonder what darned fool ever started that rumor.
As far as I can figure, my summers have gotten busier every year since I graduated from high school, and this year has been no exception.
Sometimes I honestly do not know where the days go. It seems just like yesterday that I walked into the Pioneer's office to begin my internship. Now, I'm almost done here. I'll be leaving to go back to Bemidji on Aug. 18.
The last month has gone quicker than ever since I have been involved with the Warroad Summer Theatre play "Man of LaMancha," and sometimes I feel like I'm just getting home in time to get up for work. I'm guessing that I am not the only one who feels this way either.
I wonder how many other people were lied to when they were growing up. Their parents or someone else they looked up to told them that summers were for taking your time. It was a time to be lazy.
This is not a nice realization when you first come to grips with the fact that you can't sleep until noon and then get up and watch old reruns of "Gilligan's Island."
As a matter of fact, I'm going to take it upon myself to warn everyone entering their final stages of childhood that summers are not for relaxing when you get out of high school. Did you hear me? They are not for relaxing!
There, at least no one can ever blame me for spreading that nasty little rumor. And I'll tell you what, as soon as I figure out who taught me that I could become an absolutely lazy bum from the end of May until the beginning of September, is in deep you know what.
On those rare occasions when I am watching television, and I see the commercials for Country Time lemonade, I laugh. It says something to the effect that you're supposed to slow down and take your time. Take the long way home and enjoy Country Time lemonade.
After 30 seconds of that torture, I feel like writing and telling them that since all their commercial does is taunt me, I'm not going to purchase their lemonade just for spite. If I don't have the time to take the long road home and enjoy their lemonade, I'm not going to purchase it at all. That'll show 'em.
Those of us who can't take the time to drink lemonade in the summer, or ride our bikes down gravel roads or swing on swing sets in the park, should revolt. We should make a law banning all commercials that show people having great, blissful, peaceful summers.
Because if you think about it, these are commercials right? They star real, live people right? Let's ask these people if once they walk off the set of the commercial they have slow summers. I'm guessing I know the answer.
They have homes to clean, kids to contend with, errands to run and whatever else a normal person has to do. So, if these people really aren't happy, and they are just pretending to be for the sake of selling lemonade, I think we should revolt. This must be some kind of false advertising, and false advertising is against the law. So, we should have every right to ban these fun summertime commercials from television. I don't know, it's just a thought.
On a day like today, when I'm stuck inside, and it's a nice, clear, sunny day outside, this all sounds like clear reasoning to me. Although, I'm not saying that this couldn't just be the muttering of an odd, sun-deficient Minnesotan either.
Anyway, for those of you who are as busy as I am, what do you think? I'm sure some lawyer would grab onto the idea somewhere out there.
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