Its early May, and you've finished your final exam of the semester. For friends around you, this is their final college final. Their college career is about to be finalized when they walk across that stage at graduation. If you're like me, you have one final semester before graduating in December. But it's Monday, the final day of my final spring semester of college. So many opportunities are on the horizon.
For many, the arrival of summer and the end to another semester means "it's time to go home." For others, summer means "I need to find a job or summer internship and get my life together." Others may be planning an epic summer adventure. No matter what your plans are, expectations linger at the back of your mind. I am no different.
After I turn in that last final of this semester, I prepare to move to Chicago and intern. The day I move in is quickly approaching, and I can't help thinking ahead and planning out my summer. There is so much to do, see, eat and there are so many people to meet. But that's where my mind gets stuck- the expectations and planning. I have so many high hopes for this summer. I always have. Once I made the decision to shoot for Chicago, ideas and expectations of what the summer could hold began to flow out of me.
That's the problem though, getting hung up on expectations. Ever since elementary school when that final bell rang, delivering us to summer, I've had high hopes for how the summer would play out. As a kid, those were much simpler. All I wanted to do as a kid was play outside with the other neighborhood kids until dark. I wanted to catch lightening bugs and go swimming. I just wanted to be a kid. I miss those days. I miss the simplicity.
As I have gotten older, my summer expectations have been tainted by movies and plots of novels I've read. I get caught up in thinking that my life can be as epic as fiction. I hope for that summer love. I long for nights spent on the beach, by a campfire. I hope for an "epic" summer. That just isn't the case for most people. I've had my fair share of adventures during summer breaks, though. Last summer, I went to Europe for two weeks. I saw some great live music.
This summer, I get to intern in Chicago and work towards achieving my goals. We all have plans for this summer, no matter what they may be. We all have goals and expectations and plans for what this summer will mean to us. What I want to remind you, as well as myself, is this: don't forget to live in the moment. Don't forget to experience the now. Let go of what you can't control. Let go of "what if's" and things outside of your control. Stop trying to live your summer (or your life) like someone else's. I feel that is something worth reminding you all of as summer hits us in the coming days. Enjoy your time away from UNA. Enjoy what happens this summer and do not dwell on if things play out exactly as you'd hoped.
I catch myself wishing for the simpler days of youth and lazy summer days spent playing outside all the time. As I've gotten older, those memories feel farther and farther away. I truly believe the best summer, and years, of our lives are yet to come, though. So make the most of this summer. Go out and live.
