Dear Summer 2015,
Thank you so much.
You weren’t what I expected at all. On the car ride back to my small suburban home back in May, I dreamed you’d be a crazy, colorful mess. I saw you in crop tops and a drink in your hand, a boy by your side, with plans of something fun to do every day. I saw you with the need for play in your eyes, a need for crazy adventure, and not a working bone in your body. I saw you as a continuation, no, an evolved version, of my freshman year. But that wasn’t what knocked on my door the first day of summer.
You were the exact opposite of what I expected. You were a crazy, colorful realization. You wore work pants and gym shorts with a water bottle in your hand, your best friends by your side, with plans of productivity and work every day. You had tired but successful eyes, a need for responsibility, and hardly a partying bone in your body. You weren’t a continuation, but a new and improved version, of my freshman year. And I couldn’t be happier.
I didn’t have a boy to fall into a summer love with, I didn’t have the time to go to any music festivals, and there was no trip to Europe. Of course, I would love those things one day, but this summer had to stay dry, for my own good.
Instead, I had my absolute best friends to talk to and eat with; I worked six days a week, and a few days in the woods with my family for vacation. Of course I had time for fun this summer, going down the shore whenever I could, but I didn’t feel the need to rage as I thought I would in the beginning.
Because now I know that I didn’t deserve to play this summer. My job was to roll up my sleeves and jump into independence, responsibilities, and priorities.
So, Summer 2015, thank you. Thank you for whipping me back into shape, back to a path surrounded by mental stability, physical health, and extreme productivity. From you I learned independence, the value of friendships and family, the idea of moderation, and the amazing feeling of personal success. We’ll have fun next year, but now I know your lack of typical summer fun was truly a blessing in disguise.
