Niki Tehranchi

For some reason, the month of May turned out to be  one of the worst months I have experienced.  A dear uncle was injured in a terrible car crash where he was hit from behind and the side by two cars on the freeway and his airbags failed to deploy.  We are lucky he is alive and recovering, slowly but surely.  A dear little boy who shares an art class with the rugrat was severely burned in a tragic home accident.  Thankfully, he has had the best medical care and is on the path to recovery as well.  A few other things have occurred which though not on the scale of these two incidents I mentioned, have left hubby and me a bit of emotional messes.  We are finding our own way through these struggles that every parent has had to go through.

So I, for one, am ecstatic that May is over and summer is finally upon us.  With a change of season, I expect a change in luck too.  A change for the better.  And I have decided I am going to enjoy it all, dammit.  I am going to immerse myself in the art of the barbecue.  I am going to avidly root for my favorites at Roland-Garros and the Staples Center.  I will even pick up a few juicy so-called summer novels to make sure my brain turns to cottage cheese and I am perpetually in a state of bliss.  I don't want anxiety, fear and concern anymore.  I have tasted them and they are too sour for my palate.  I am sure many of our dear readers of iranian.com would be shocked that with all the tragedies and injustices in the world, I am rambling on about barbecues, pool parties, the French Open and the NBA finals.  Bring on the pitchforks and torches!  The tar and feathers if you like.  I won't recant this confession.  I can't help it.  I am finally tasting some peace and happiness, the simple pleasures of life like drinking cool beer on a hot afternoon surrounded by family and friends, making my lethally good guacamole dip (which I have kept the recipe secret until recently, when I agreed to share it in exchange for my uncle giving me some good grilling tips).  And if you happen to drop by my humble abode, you can be sure there will always be a bottle of pinot grigio chilling for you, and an extra plate set at the picnic table. 

Thank god summer is finally upon us...