Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow Moving from summer to fall is a transition that only a handful of people relish. Between the colder sharper weather, the continuous darkening of the sky, and the shorter days and longer nights, who can blame us? These are not the only things that I think of when the onslaught of fall is upon us, however. Gary Soto reminds me of the wish for a better, more sophisticated existence, when I read “Looking for Work.” The reading reminds me that the joys of summer that are long coming to an end are brought not by experiencing summer throughout the whole year, but working hard to earn that privilege. In the reading “Looking for Work,” the author introduces us to the mind of a nine-year-old boy who also longs for the sophistication of an ideal home life. In the reading the boy sees families on television dressing up for dinner and living a graceful and wealthy lifestyle. He longs for that same sense of wealth and class. His simple solution is to go door to door and ask for work. He works hard and makes only a few cents, but is able to go to the pool with his friend and sister at the end of the day. This scenario reminds me of my own life in the approaching months.
Summer is a time of year for myself that reflects the wealth and sophistication that the boy longs for. As I see it slipping away into the fall season, I also see it far off in the distance. That being said, this inevitable seasonal transition evokes a few different reactions in me, the majority of them being centered around a sense of loss. Not only does this change bring on a loss of sunshine and days spent at the beach. With it also comes a loss of free-time and general peace of mind.
All hope is not lost though with the departure of summer. Although we advance from the time of lasting sunshine and the “good ole’ days,” and enter into a colder busier season, it brings us that much closer to the next summer. And that thought makes me realize that in order to enjoy my

Cited: Soto, Gary. “Looking for Work.” Rereading America. Ed. Gary Columbo, Robert Cullen, Bonnie Lisle. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 26-31. Print.