Dear Summer '17,

With four weeks left, I know this letter might seem a little premature, but there are some things I want you to know. And I have to say them now, before moving back to school gets any closer, before I have to pack away my shorts and tanks in favor of the hoodies and jeans, before you're gone all too soon.

Thank you for bringing me home and giving me time to relax. School is a ton of fun, but it's hard to know when you need a break. Be it from the parties, the class work, or just the constant buzz of the school year, everyone benefits from a step back at the end of the semester and Summer 2017, you're just that.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to see friends I've been missing since moving in in August. In the chaos of freshman year, or any year of college, it can get hard to go visit friends or have friends visit you. But during the summer, you don't have to visit your friends from home because they're there with you. Thank you for giving me the chance to eat at all my favorite hometown places with all my favorite hometown people, drive to the beach screaming throwbacks with the sunroof down, and sit around in someone's backyard drinking wine and laughing until the sun comes up.

Thank you for reminding me that there is life outside of Binghamton. Living on campus, surrounded by a small town, it's so easy to get stuck in the bubble. Coming back home and picking up two summer jobs popped that bubble faster than I thought possible. Sure, I'd rather be on the beach than working 80 hour weeks, but college is not reality and it's important to remember what life is like outside your school whether it has 1,600 students or 16,000. A good work/play balance is essential, but a little more work now means a lot more room to play come the new school year.

Thank you for giving me a good dose of sun and vitamin sea. Binghamton, you know I love you, but you're cold, cloudy, rainy, and a tough pill to swallow for 9 months of the year. Coming back to Long Island means sun-kissed skin, lighter hair, freckles, and not having to wear a parka every time I leave my room.

Thank you, Summer 2017, for all of this and so much more. I'll be sad when you're gone, but the memories I've made with you are sure here to stay.