Summer Hater Turned Summer Lover
Every year since I can remember I’ve dreaded summer. It’s always promoted as this time of carefree fun with no obligations and endless opportunities to do whatever you want. And yet, I have never felt like my summer fit this expectation. Summer, for me, has always consisted of way too much work, way too much time spent in the house and way too much time spent thinking about how miserable I feel in the summer.Â
All year I had been dreading the start of summer. My five roommates were all going to their respective homes for summer, most of my friends were leaving, and my family was in an entirely different state. It seemed like the odds were stacked against me in regards to making this summer any better than the ones before. So, I did what I could, and I got a job and tried to think of all the standard ways I could spend my time. I could go for a walk, bake cookies, lay out in the sun, but it all seemed like the same monotonous time-fillers from my summers at home.
It wasn’t until I went in to work one day and started talking to my new coworkers that I had an epiphany. They were expressing the same negative feelings about summer as myself. We were all just three lost kids in the exact same position. All of our friends had left, we were all from different states, and we were all so bored. So, what else was there to do than go through this time together? We formed this kind of unspoken, mutual agreement that we were going to create that ideal vision of summer you see in the movies.Â
It started with a hiking trip. Then turned into weekly meals. Then teaching each other to swim and ride bikes. Then an impulsive trip to NYC followed by another one to Chicago. We took advantage of every event going on in Madison, every coupon we came across, every new restaurant and every beautiful day. We soon became little versions of one another. All of their favorite activities soon became mine and mine became theirs. It was truly beautiful to watch the effect we were all having on each other. These wonderful people helped me learn the beauty of saying “yes” to everything and getting out of my comfort zone to try something new. It is summer after all. We had few obligations, ample time, and great friends to spend it with.Â
Going forward, I now view summer as a season of opportunity. We have a limited amount of summers where we are truly free with few obligations, so why should we not be excited about that? We all know life is short and what a waste it would be to spend it dreading a time with so many opportunities for memories, excitement and adventure. I’ve had a complete switch in mindset. No matter where I end up or who my friends are, I have learned the value of saying “yes,” having an open mind and doing things that make you uncomfortable. For the first time, I’m genuinely looking forward to my next summer.Â
If you feel a sense of dread, like myself, with the start of every summer, I have some advice for you. First of all, you are not alone. Summer is this glorified season of happiness and fun. The first step is realizing that is not always realistic. We get older, we have responsibilities, and we have new priorities. That is okay. However, you still have plenty of opportunities to make summer your own. It starts with mentality. If you look at summer from a perspective of dread, you have to change that. Good things can’t happen unless you are open to them. So, take advantage of those events coming into your life, befriend the people you usually wouldn’t, and say “yes” to all those crazy, impulsive things that come into your life. If I hadn’t been open to switching my mentality, I would’ve wasted what turned out to be my best summer by far.Â