I feel blessed to have had some pretty magical summers. The summers you read about in fairy tales. The summers you fantasize about. But haven’t we all? Isn’t that what summer wholeheartedly is? It’s a break from reality: be it time off from school, time off from winter, or just extra time. By that, of course, I mean those longer summer hours where 10pm sneaks up on you because you’ve been wrapped up in that extra sunlight.
Summer as a child is, well, pure bliss. It almost feels like a dream. How else can you explain three months off from school? Three months of hanging with your friends, finding unique ways to stay cool, exploring entrepreneurial ventures (lemonade stand, anyone?). Summer was always my time. It was my time to embark upon different adventures, explore different walks of life, and, above all: it was a time to discover different parts of myself.
Summer memories can be large or small. It can be that one time I repelled off a cliff, or the time I climbed the tallest mountain in Mexico. It can be the time I canoed alongside seals or that time I white water rafted down a waterfall. But it can also be that time that my summer camp counselor woke me and my tent mates up in the middle of the night and we ate cheese and crackers on the dock by the lake. It can be that time that Julia M. told me I was her best friend. It can be that small, seemingly insignificant moment, that moment in summer 2002 when I truly felt my self-worth. The first time I truly believed in myself. The first time my self-doubt vanished and I felt invincible.
I don’t know what it is about summer. But summer is my time to shine. As an adult, I no longer have the vacation time that allows for the sort of adventures my past summers have granted me, but that hasn’t gotten in my way of embracing the summer months. Now my magical summer moments consist of eating my lunch outside, going for late night strolls with my roommate, and trying to fill my weekends with as much summer fun as possible – be it ocean-side volleyball or trips to the Hamptons. My relationship with summer is mutual: summer brings out the best in me, so that I can take advantage of the best of summer.
What are some of your favorite summer memories? Be sure to comment in the space below!