It has been one heck of a summer filled with Olympic achievements, scorching heat, and more political propaganda than I care to glance at. Hopefully, for many of you, it was also a
summer of relaxation and vacationing. Spending time with the family away from home can be the recharge that so many of us look for every year. Although perhaps, like many parents, you’re more excited about the kids being out of the house at school. Whatever the case may be, let’s take a look at a quick summer recap, revisiting all of the important events throughout the last couple of months.
First of all, Olympic news. Team USA pulled through in the final quarter to win the most medals overall and tie with China for the most gold medals. At the beginning of this month, the United States had 6 gold medals and finished on the 11th with 40. The US had 126 medals in total. China, in second place, had 91 overall. This continues a winning streak for the United States in the highest amount of medals won in all events every Summer Olympics since 1996. In other news, Breakdancing will not be included in the 2028 Olympics. It was added this year in an effort to appeal to younger audiences but was evidently not quite up to the Olympic organizer’s standards. Watching each of these competitors at the peak of their talent is quite impressive, to say the least. The next Summer Olympic Games are coming to Los Angeles in 2028, and needless to say, I’m already looking forward to it.
It’s no secret that this summer has been a real scorcher. Does anyone else remember the summers when Kansas would get about a week’s worth of hundred-degree weather, and it’d stay in the 90s otherwise? If only we’d be so lucky again, it seems as though we’ve had a heat advisory every other day these past couple of months. Regardless, the heat isn’t the only of our worries, many parts of the state are experiencing the intense pressure of drought, brought on by hot summers year after year. While there has been some rain for different parts of the state, it doesn’t quite stick around very often. In order to combat the current issues, lawmakers and city councils have had to turn to limiting water use for civilians. We can only hope that this winter brings heavy snowfall to our state.
Now that the Olympics are over and as the summer draws to a close, the political frustration will only get worse. It’s important to remember that no matter what your beliefs are or where you lie in the political spectrum the people on the other side of the aisle are human too. We’re all made of the same matter from this rock spinning in the vast expanse of space, are politics really important enough to generate cruelty or hatred for one another? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend my energy helping others out than tearing them down, no matter how much I disagree with them. Overall, this past summer has been quite an adventure.
Even if you didn’t manage to get that family vacation in, weekend getaways can always be had throughout the school year. Either that, or there’s always winter break too. So as this next school year begins and the kids settle into their routines, just remember not to take life too seriously, and the Fall months may be just as relaxing as Summer. Who knows, you might just have a little fun along the way.
