For many of us, summer vacation has finally arrived. It is a vacation from school, study, perhaps work, and general normal college (or high school) life. This means it is also a vacation from close friends, campuses we have come to call home, and scheduled activities we can choose to participate in and enjoy. If you are anything like me, the first week of vacation has been or will be filled with a lot of Netflix, catching up on DVR, and tying up loose ends on registration and job applications. Life can seem pretty purposeless and just plain boring after a few days of unwinding. Let's face it: summer doesn't provide that much to do. So what should you do?
1. Read a book
Reading used to be my favorite activity in the whole world. People used to be convinced I absorbed stories through putting books under my pillow while I slept. Since college though, recreational reading has slowed to all but a standstill. So pick up Shakespeare, Doyle, Dickens, or Eyre. It is food for your brain, but also for your soul.
2. Throw a party.
Have fun! Celebrate your summer. Whether it be at a pool, the beach, a park, or in the city, parties are a good way to have a good time with good people. And there's usually food, so there's that, too.
3. Catch up with friends.
It was much harder to keep in contact with junior and senior high school friends than I thought it would be during the school year. This is a great opportunity with limited responsibility to spend time rebuilding and continuing those relationships.
4. Volunteer.
Community service, especially when voluntary, can be very rewarding for both you and those whose lives are changed for the better as a result. Many people could use a lending hand and open heart. What better way to spend your extra time?
5. Apply for scholarships.
Despite many misconceptions, a lot of scholarships do not expire their deadlines until midway through summer, so this is the perfect time to start looking for next year's payment source.
6. Take up a new hobby.
Maybe this means some form of dancing, or improv, or archery, or skeet shooting. Do something new and unexpected to impress your friends... or make them laugh in the fall.
7. Clean up.
The house, your room... your life. Yard sales and Goodwills are both good places to visit and contribute to.
8. Travel.
If you can't afford to go far, take a trip down a road you've never been on during an otherwise familiar trip. Visit a city near you that you don't know much about. Who knows what you might find!
9. Window shop.
You don't have to buy anything to get the benefits of shopping. One game I have found to be particularly entertaining is to walk around with friends and choose crazy outfits for each other. Then strut around the store proud, selfies and all.
10. Create art.
I am pretty terrible and drawing and painting. But sewing and sculpting, even writing, are arts, too. Explore your creativity this summer. If you play an instrument, use that to your advantage in this area!
11. Enjoy your family.
It might sound cliche, but your family is forever. This was the first time in my life I had been away from them for more than a few days at a time, and while I love the freedom - and they might deny it - I did miss them. This last week my parents were working, my friends were busy, and my siblings were at school, and I was home alone. The time we have been able to spend together now that I am back from college has definitely been appreciated.
I hope these suggestions help get you off the couch this summer. Vacation is a time to learn new things, too, but these lessons may just last a lifetime.
