Since my early teen years, I’ve felt pressured to have the most action-packed summers. When you’re fourteen and without a license, the most you can get out of summer is begging your mom to drive you and your friends to the beach, and having a part-time babysitting job. As I’ve just finished my first year of university, I find myself facing the same pressure to have my best summer yet.
The pressure to have an amazing summer applies to any age — I see my fifty-year-old parents making the same plans I want to make. Although I viewed summer as a season for no responsibilities during my early teen years, this is the third summer where my main priority is earning back all the money I’ve spent during the school year. Up until this point, I’ve had the privilege of hacking the system by working the cutest summer jobs — I worked as a barista in my teen years, where all I did during the summer was drink iced lattes, make TikToks with my co-workers, and flirt with the cute boys that would come in.
Even my friends who take summer courses or extra credits make the most out of it by tanning outside while writing their final papers. The pressure of summer, therefore, doesn’t come from having fewer responsibilities. I think — especially for Canadians — it comes from having three to four months without cold weather, and needing to maximize your time with beach days, pool parties and barbecues. It really is the point where your seasonal depression melts away. I still don’t think the sun and temperature are the only reasons why everyone loves summer, but rather, it’s the summer mindset.
Ever since we were children, it’s been drilled into our heads that summer is the only time of the year that really matters—or at least that’s what it felt like. Of course, there’s Christmas, and the beginning of fall when all the leaves are changing but it’s not cold enough to need your hats and mitts.
Every summer, I find myself making a summer bucket list on my notes app. Do I ever check off any of the items? NO. Maybe going to a patio for dinner, a weekend at the cottage, a day at the beach — and maybe if I’m lucky, a day on a boat. My point is, why do we make summer such a big deal when we do the same things every year?
The thing is, even if I do the same things, I wouldn’t change a thing about my summers. I LOVE going to my best friend’s cottage, eating fresh, local fish tacos and going out for ice cream every other day. Every year I go crazy for summer, and having the only summer birthday out of my friends doesn’t help either because I associate the whole season with my birthday.
I know most girls can relate to wanting to plan the perfect summer. I start planning my summer the first day it’s warm enough to not wear my winter jacket — a new Spotify playlist is created, I start scrolling through my Pinterest board and asking my friends what plans they have for a random weekend in July. Although my summers stay relatively the same, I still say each one is better than the last, because they generally are. As I grow older, my potential to make the best summer increases. I remember my first summer with my car; it was life-changing.
I think the reason summers feel so special and create so much pressure to have the best three months of the year is because you feel like you have all the time in the world. The days are longer, so even if you have a job or are taking summer classes, the sun doesn’t set until 10 anyways.
Regardless of your age, summer is one of the best times of the year, so start making plans if you haven’t yet! And remember, if it doesn’t end up being the summer you wanted, there will always be more.