There isn’t anything great about today, except that it’s today.

As corny as it sounds, one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far this year is that happiness comes from an appreciation of the moment. I’ve written along these lines in past articles, but I’m just human like everyone else and it can be hard to remember this sometimes when life feels like it’s hitting you all at once.

I’ve finally gotten settled back into my college town for the summer and let me tell you that dresser I bought from Target will not be leaving my possession for years. Now that the majority of my moving in stress is over, it’s finally time to settle into my living situation this summer.

Within the past week of residing here, I’ve already taken part is some of the simple pleasures of living in a college’s summer ghost-town, including finding the few friends who reside here with me and going to the outdoor bar in gym shorts and a T-shirt with no make-up on, grinding it out at the gym everyday for at least an hour because there’s no schoolwork demanding of my time, knowing I can leisurely look for a job (which I promise you I’m doing because there isn’t much else to do during the day besides that) because everything is still dirt-cheap year-round catering to the college customers the businesses are used to, and sitting on my front porch in Northwest Ohio because it’s the one season of the year that it’s warm enough.

One of my goals for this summer, or aspirations really since there’s no end-result from it, is to use this abundance of extra time on my hands to read more. I’ve always loved to read, but throughout college, the little time I have to read is left for textbooks. I know that as much as you are reading this article right now there are likely still high odds that you may not like to read novels like I do, but replace that idea with whatever activity you used to have all the time in the world to partake in as a child and wish you had the time to do now.

As much as you enjoy having a beer with your frat brothers or going to get your nails done with your sisters or even just going down the street for a bite with your friends when was the last time you actually did one of those simple pleasures you enjoyed as a child? Maybe it was playing kickball with the kids on the street, riding your bike to the ice cream shop, or reading your book on the porch in the evening with your mom. Whatever it was, it isn’t as crazy as you may think to still do one of those simple pleasures at your age.

Go ahead and knock on your neighbors’ door and ask them to play kickball if they’re interested, and maybe offer them free drinks if they seem slightly confused by the gesture. Ride your bike if you enjoy riding your dang bike. Or maybe sit on the porch as I am doing right now and read that book they made that Netflix movie from that you watched on data (I don’t want to talk about this one). My point is this summer is the time to do whatever you flipping want to do without being judged for it, whether you decided to stay in your college town for summer or go home.

For some of you who are home, you may find yourself at 2 a.m.at the local Waffle House with your old school friends eating breakfast receiving a text from your mother because they’re unaware of your adult age. For those of you here in your college town, you might grow closer with some old friends you haven’t talked to in some time. Whatever it may be, now is your abundance of time to do just that.

XOXO Isa