It was a Sunday. A gloomy and cold March day, I opened the weather app expecting to see clouds and 50s making up the forecast. Instead, on the very last day of the ten day forecast, I saw a sun. Next to Tuesday shows a little yellow sun with 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer has begun.Â
Nine days out I started to plan my outfit. Eight days out I looked at the forecast again to make sure it was real. Seven days out I daydreamt about what I’d be doing a week from now, and six days out I finalized my outfit. Five days out I decided to spend the entirety of Tuesday outside, and four days out I started to get ahead on homework. Three, two, and one day out I spent thinking about what it’d be like to be April 9.Â
Back to five days before, I decided I didn’t want to do any homework on April 9. Tuesday, one of my freer days, is usually booked for assignments and readings. So to make my dream sunny day happen, I had to reorganize my schedule. I locked in in ways I haven’t all semester, and most of the work got done ahead of time. But not all of it.
Like a lot of college students, my assignments pile and pile and pile until they finally disappear after finals. There’s always something to do, or always something I could be doing. It’s hard not to feel guilty when I take some me-time. Especially when there are things I need to get done.Â
I woke up on April 9 feeling this guilt. I knew I wanted to spend as much of the day outside as possible, but I had a few tasks I still needed to do. And then I realized I don’t have to be productive all the time. On Wednesday, when the days are gloomy and cold again, there would still be things to do and tasks to complete. And on April 9, 2034, I won’t remember which tasks I did or didn’t do. I probably won’t even remember what I wore. Not doing those tasks would make no difference in the big picture. I did my best to let go of the guilt, and began my day.
On my walk to campus I saw more people than I have all semester. More students were on their way to classes, more dogs were enjoying a walk. Cars zoomed by with windows down and music pouring out. The buzz in the air only grew louder as I approached campus.
Students flocked to outdoor tables, patches of grass, and trees to hang their hammocks. The campus looked alive again. Trees were dotted with sprouting leaves and flowers with bulbed about-to-bloom petals. I (bravely) went to my classes, but every other minute I spent basking in the rays.Â
I ended the day with a freckled face, slightly tanned arms, and feeling more refreshed than I had in weeks. With serotonin filling my brain, the rest of the semester seems entirely manageable and possible going forward. So the next sunny day that rolls around, put on a good outfit and get in those rays (don’t forget your sunscreen)!
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