Junebug Song

Maybe you call them locusts. Whatever they are, they are already going at it hale and hearty when I awaken at the crack of dawn. The drilling insistence of their complaint tells me it will be a hot and muggy day. Maybe worse than even the last few days. I flip through my wardrobe, seeking something that will allow me to be comfortable in the dripping wetness of outdoors, but amply protected against the exuberance of the air conditioning that turns my office into a deep freeze.

Ah. A dress. I am not in the habit of wearing such things. In fact, until recently, I no longer even owned a dress. I have had to play unfeminine roles for so long that I have lost touch with my gentle side. When I was praying one day, it seemed the Lord was encouraging me to get back in touch with that. Apparently I have a hard edge that needs to be softened.

So I scanned sales fliers for awhile, and took a bit of time trying on current styles. Yuck. I don't care for the stuff out there. Tight, short, uncomfortable. Not exactly a garb you can nurture in. Shoot, you can hardly walk in some of those deals. Eventually I found a style I could embrace, and purchased 2. The first time I wore one, I was shocked at the difference it made. Not only was I a bit less aggressive, but people reacted to me quite differently. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but I am gradually recalling hugging little children and not being the "take charge and bark commands" person.

I know it sounds silly. But I need to follow this through and see where it goes, what I need to recapture inside. And I had forgotten that in the summer, a dress can be cooler than pants. Another benefit. So today I select the plaid seersucker, hook Sugar to the leash, and wander outside for a closer listen to those heat indicators whose persistent dissonance takes me back to another era and the quiet stability of my grandmother's place where the junebugs accompanied the morning trip to the tree stump by the kitchen window where Gram deposited the leftover oatmeal for the critters.

Maybe it won't be too hot to enjoy the day after all.