As this long, hot summer comes to a close, I find myself wishing to reflect on how I spent it as most of us tend to do at the end of something really fun. The only problem is that when I try to think of all the good times I had these last three months out of class, only a few memories come to mind. They were good, don’t get me wrong, but they were also too few. And therein lies the problem of summer in college (and beyond).
I was never a big fan of summer to begin with. The dork inside of me has always preferred the routine structure that the school year provides rather than the lackadaisical lethargy that we are forced to bear through the heat of the summer. Nonetheless, I’m not crazy – I do enjoy being back home and reconnecting with family who I miss while I’m at school. It’s nice to be back on my old childhood stomping grounds for a little while. And it’s great to finally see my friends again, and see them everyday like old times.
But It’s not before too long that the allure of summer turns suddenly bleak. The novelty of being home wears off as family and friends head off to work for summer jobs, leaving the jobless few like myself to lay around home, waiting for everyone—anyone—to get off work. And so it goes, the summer of a college student.
As a kid, summer used to mean a lot more. It meant trips to the beach, swimming, staying up late, catching fireflies and eating ice pops. There was a certain beautiful fantasy that somehow existed between the wretched heat and unorganized chaos of summer as a child. But as we grow older, that fantasyland becomes less and less accessible and summer grows to be just another season of the year.
That’s what it’s always been to me, summer. And I’ve never understood what it was about the season that attracted people so much. But now more than ever, I cannot fathom how people our age look forward to this time of year, since it’s either spent working or waiting (and again, all in the dead of heat!).
Usually my articles tend to follow a pretty rhythmic structure wherein I pose a question or theory and answer it for myself with quotes or my own ideas. But on this particular subject, I’m truly stumped on what summer can possibly have of value to someone my age or older.
With a week left until I make my way back to school, there’s not really much left to salvage what is left of this summer. All I can hope is that the heat will soon blow away in exchange for a cool breeze and falling leaves. (And yes, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be an article on that!)
