If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me "So what are you doing this summer?", I would be one rich college student. Unfortunately, nothing is free, and neither is my summer. If you had asked me the same question two months ago, my answer would have been full of weekend road trips, beach days, Cedar Point Sundays, and sunny mornings spent in bed with a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. Sadly, not every dream comes true, and my summer so far has been anything but glorious.

Just a few short days after finals ended, I realized that my life couldn't just come to a halt because my apartment pool opened up and the sky stays lit well into the evening. My status as a full-time student had been temporarily paused, but I was still an independent adult with rent to pay, a fridge to fill, and a car to fuel. My job depended on me, and the due date was coming up for summer class payments, leaving my savings and checking account with perfectly precise balances of $0.00. And so I applied for a second job, picked up a few extra hours here and there at my existing jobs, and summer officially began.

Now you may ask me, "How is your summer going?" Well, let me tell you.

My summer sucks.

I wake up before the sun rises, make a smoothie, chug it while walking to my car, speed to my first job, and spend half of the day on my feet. Eight hours later, I drive back home, complete as much homework as possible, change into my best business casual, and drive to my second job. I leave just as the sun sets on the horizon, change into workout clothes, and run until my body forces me to stop. This leaves me just enough time to shower, pack lunch and dinner for the next day, and crash into my mountain of pillows, asleep within minutes. This schedule repeats itself just about every day of every week of my entire summer.

I hate it, and most days I fall into bed on the brink of tears because my body is exhausted and emotions drained. Each morning when my alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m., I cry inside for a brief second, sit up, and then remind myself that this is all worth it; my school is being paid for out of pocket, there is an abundance of food in my fridge, I was able to afford a better, newer car when I totaled my last car, and I pay my rent on time every month. I am barely surviving, but hey, at least I'm surviving.

I miss seeing my friends and spending my Friday night at the bar instead of falling asleep by the time most parents put their three-year-olds to bed. I wish I had more time to visit home and eat dinner with my family. Sometimes I'm tempted to just take out school loans and let this summer be a 3-month joyride, but then reality smacks me upside the head. I'm at the point in my life where the bills are never going to go away.

This is "adulting," and although I'm already weary and in desperate need of down time, I am beyond thankful for this learning experience. My hope is that in 1 or even 10 years from now, I will look back on this oh-so-exhausting summer and have no regrets for the hard work and perseverance I am putting forth. Life isn't easy, but then again, would it really be life if it was?