Was it all that you hoped for? That question could be answered in over a hundred different ways, but you only know the answer to it.

As the summer comes to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways, it becomes a little bittersweet. As you get older you realize how valuable your time becomes. The summers become shorter or even non-existent. Everyone has jobs, lives, careers, families, significant others and then there is the 3 months out of the year that are meant to be a relaxation for the rest of the year.

Thank you summer 2016, you weren’t all that I wanted but you were all that I needed. The summer nights that go by way too quickly and leave you nostalgic in late August when it’s all you want back, to the nights that you laugh your ass off surrounded by the people who mean the world to you. Summer isn’t just summer anymore, it’s the time of year you yearn for, the time of year that gives you those months to rejuvenate and always leaves you wanting more at the end of it all.

Not only did I learn a lot about my personal self and where I want to be, what my major goals are and who I want to be with, I learned a lot about the people around me and what they want in life as well. So to the friends who graduated, and are starting their lives and their careers, I envy you in a way, because sometimes you just want to be done. People are going to say that you will miss it, and yes, of course, you will, but there is something about starting the new chapter, and growing, and doing everything that ten years prior you didn’t know would even happen, that is why it's envious, because starting over is enthralling, and scary at the same time.

Every moment spent in the sun, lying by a pool, chasing that girl, drinking that cold beer, growing into the person you want to become, those are the moments that make the difference in the year to come. Every memory you make, every time in early frostbitten December that leaves you talking for hours about all the times you wish you could be outside playing Frisbee, or kayaking down the river, only gives you more times to laugh and plan ahead for futures to come. Some summers for people are ones that in years to come they still talk about because they had that much of an impact on their lives.

So as you pack those bags, move into new places, and meet new people, be thankful for all the things that changed your life in the three months prior, be grateful for the times that you cannot ever get back again, for those are the moments that stick with you, the moments that make you smirk to yourself when you think about that summer that changed your life.