A Perfect Summer Day

Oct. 11, 2007

Mr. Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters, and Honored Guests:

I had a perfect summer day a few weeks ago. It was a Friday, but I had decided to take the day off the day before. I woke up at 5, snuck out of the bedroom, put on my shoes, and stepped into the refreshing morning air.

The Sun was trying to get up early as well. It painted a beautiful color on the horizon. I wouldn’t call it red; it’s not purple or pink, either. I wondered “Hmmm. How do you call that color?” The duck pond I knew was draped by a white denseness. I wondered “Gee, is it cloud or fog? What’s the definition of cloud versus fog? Is mist something in between?”

An hour later, I came home. I smelled bacon. My wife said cheerfully, “how was your morning walk!” Oh, what a beautiful morning. And it’s gong to be a beautiful day!

I sat down to enjoy my bacon. Suddenly, the phone rang.

“Guess what, Dad!”
“What”.
“You are going to be a grandpa in March!”

Oh, what a beautiful day indeed. I decided to start practicing reading story books, but I could not find any children’s book. Instead, I found a little book covered by 20 years worth of dust. It was the Mid-Summer Night’s Dream. Dusting it off, I brought it with me and sat under a tree in my back yard.

The little girl next door was yelling “Mommy, mommy, he pushed me.” A little boy was shouting “You pushed me first”. The mom was saying “OK. OK. Listen! The ice cream man is coming.” The sun was shining, cool breeze was blowing, and birds were singing. I fell into a slumber.

I heard a little girl’s voice.

“Grandpa, grandpa. I want ice cream. I want ice cream.”
“What did Mommy say?”
“Mommy is not here.”
“Aha, let’s have as much ice cream as we want.”

Then my neighbor’s lawn mower woke me up. I tried to get back to the book. The book did not make sense:

It talked about a wedding. The Duke of Athens was marrying the Queen of the Amazons. A festival was being held in a forest. Fine, but why did these mid-summer night’s activities happen in May, instead of August?
Which language would the newly-weds use to talk with each other?
Where did they meet and fell in love anyway?
Did this Shakespeare guy know what he was talking about?

It’s a good thing I don’t need to write a book report on it. I did not finish the book 20 years ago; I certainly don’t need to finish it this time. This is not a good story for the kid any way. I am going to be a grandpa, if I don’t like the book I don’t have to read it.

I would mow the lawn instead. I pulled the string of the mower; it did not start. I pulled it again; still no luck. “Oh well. The grass will still be here tomorrow. There really is no urgency to mow it today.” I sat down again and watched the clouds sailing over my chimney.

I remembered the great Confucius caught one of his star disciples dozing off in a hot summer day. He was mad: “Dozing off in bright day light? What an incorrigible student you are!” I say “Eat your heart out, Mr. Confucius. I’ll be a grandpa soon. I will snooze off whenever I want.” This was too beautiful a day to be wasted doing serious work.

On this Friday in August, I accomplished nothing.
The book was not interesting;
The lawn mower was not starting.
I watched white clouds sailing across the blue sky;
I felt cool breeze breathing through golden light;
I heard children playing and birds singing.
This day shall go down in history as the perfect summer day in my book.

Mr. Toastmaster.
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A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. – James Dent

登山 （唐；李涉）
終日昏昏醉夢間， 忽聞春盡強登山。
因過竹院逢僧話，又得浮生半日閒。