Spring has officially sprung, and as a second-semester freshman, I feel like I am living two different realities at the same time.
On one hand, the sunshine has me waking up earlier, walking to class with enthusiasm, and feeling like the main character in an early 2000s movie. On the other hand, the warm weather has turned me into the biggest procrastinator because all I can think about is summer, my bare feet on the grass, iced coffees that refresh the soul, and the freedom of not having 15 assignments every week.
The shift happens fast. One week, I’m trudging across campus in my North Face puffer coat, mentally preparing myself for the possibility of frostbite, and the next, I’m sitting outside my dorm getting burnt in the low UV index. Suddenly, I am motivated to do everything except the things I am actually supposed to be getting done.
There’s something about spring on this college campus that feels electric. Everyone seems to emerge from their dorms like we’ve all been hibernating. People linger outside after class, music drifts from open windows, and the sidewalks are full of students, making the campus look like it came straight out of a magazine.
We are all thinking the same thing: summer is coming. And that’s where the problem starts.
The warm weather makes me want to be productive, just not academically. I suddenly want to reorganize my entire room, start a new workout routine, and make Pinterest boards for outfits I don’t even own yet. I want to walk everywhere and talk to everyone, soaking up the sun like it is going to leave at any moment.
When it comes time for writing papers and studying for my finals, my brain is like, “let’s circle back to that… in May,” even though we are halfway through April.
There is also this bittersweet feeling that comes with the end of freshman year creeping closer. Spring reminds me that I have made it through so much already: first finals, first college friendships, and first-time balancing independence with responsibilities.
It reminds me that time is moving fast. Too fast. Part of me wants to freeze everything exactly how it is because I am never going to get this back, but the other part of me is sprinting towards summer like it is the finish line.
So yes, spring has made me both motivated and distracted. Energized and unfocused. Ready to take on the world and also ready to take a nap in the sun. But honestly, I think that’s what this season is supposed to feel like.