May 24, 2018
Once again, it’s that wonderful time of year. The early sunrise and late sunset, the subtle breeze giving brief moments of coolness in the exhausting heat, the vibrant shades of green punctuating the views of beautiful mountain ranges, students turning in their final exams, and families planning vacations (or planning to send their kids away!). This glorious time of year I’m speaking of is, of course, SUMMERTIIME! That’s right the season most associated with fun, freedom, new beginnings, and overall good times has finally come around.
I’m always gleeful of the summertime not only for all previously mentioned reasons, but also because this is usually the time of year when I get to figure out and express my truest self. I grew up as a summer camp kid, so I was constantly being exposed to new people and atmospheres which allowed me to gain new perspectives. This also meant that no matter how the rest of the year went, I always had a fresh opportunity to try and figure out who I was or who I wanted to be.
Regardless of what your background is, I believe the thing we all have in common is the internal struggle of figuring ourselves out in our adolescence. Some years I was shy and timid, other years I was the center of attention. My struggle was trying to find the balance between being reserved or giving all of my energy and effort towards pleasing other people. However, I believe what truly helped me grow were the moments that were hard, awkward, and uncomfortable. I’m talking about those times when hunger set in and group morale was low and we had no patience left to pretend, and our true selves would show. Or the moments when we ran out of popular topics to talk about and we had to actually get to know each other and share personal stories. Or even when tension within a group would get to its’ breaking point, but we still had a week left with each other so we were forced to air out our grievances and learn to move forward. These are the moments that go unadvertised but are truly the most memorable and impactful.
So now that it is once again that magical time of year I just want to say don’t be afraid to embrace change, especially within yourself, take some time to reflect, and most importantly have fun and let the good times roll!