With summer winding down and the back to school commercials in full swing, it's sad to be saying goodbye to a nice break from the 5:30 alarms, homework, and teenage angst. With the last few days of summer I've come to the realization that my play time is over, and it's time for me to get back on the real life train and journey into adulthood where I will figure out what I want to do with my life and how I'm going to pay for it.

This summer has been one of the best, and I think everyone can agree that summer is a freeing time. The days are longer and more inviting with the warm air. I know this is shallow to say, but everybody is prettier in the summer. I feel like throughout my break I've had time to figure out what I want in life, but I'm very afraid that I may lose track of it.

I'm entering my senior year which means I have a lot of responsibility with picking a college, getting scholarships, deciding on a major, and all while trying to make the most out of what I have left of high school. I can't help but feel like Holden Caulfield in this situation to think that my life is just ending. I want to say that college will be fun, but what come after that? Will I start a family and see my kids live the same life that I am? Will I spend my days at Target looking for the absolute best deal while I'm slowly being brainwashed by capitalism? I don't want to end up a phony or a mad man or anything that will take away my childlike characteristic. I want to be able to imagine still and think openly, but just like school, the real working world is a world of conformity and settling for what we know is safe.

All of those outcomes might make you think different things. You might say that nothing comes from quitting, and that if you're not making money, you're not living a successful life.

You might be thinking that you wish you had the courage to do that because you aren't happy, but you're too scared to change your life.

You might have already done something like that! Either way maybe it opened your eyes a little.

They say it takes all kinds of kinds and that couldn't be more true. People are all very diverse and we all want lots of different things. When I've told people that I'm going to be a senior, I get a lot of different remarks and good lucks, but most people just get this nostalgic look on there face. I want to make senior year great and I want to have fun without overthinking how my life is going to turn out. Summer is prime time for figuring out the kind of person you are when you're going through school because it's the only time you really get to be alone with yourself.

I'm hoping that there will be an article after this telling you that I've learned to live like it is summer all the time, and that I am willing to take risks in my life, and not fall into anything that I don't like. I want to keep my goals in mind at all times. I don't want to lose track of what I am capable of.