With summer on rise, I’m eager to come home, cuddle my dog, and spend time with friends and family. But most all, I love to use my summers as a way to connect back with things I love doing for myself. On a typical summer day when I’m not working at my job, I pick up my best friends and we’ll get a matcha from my favorite cafe called Lovesong located in North Park, San Diego where I order a Wild Child consisting of lavender flavor with hints of mint and thyme. While it may just seem like another matcha run, to us Lovesong holds lasting memories and countless laughs.
We’ll then choose to either go to the photobooth, Booth by Bryant, Day to Day Vintage (a favorite vintage store of ours), or La Jolla Beaches. We have an unspoken tradition of the places we love to visit. Yet at the end of the day, we always end up playing pickleball for hours. To some, this may seem repetitive and boring, but to us it’s an inside joke. We’re very indecisive, so this makes it easy for us to plan hang outs. Whatever it is we do, I always end up having the best time. Playing my summer playlist which consists of “Tongue Tied” by GROUPLOVE, “Otro Atardecer” by Bad Bunny and The Marias, or “Feels Like Summer” by Childish Gambino making everything feel so alive. Almost as if my life is in a different realm in the summer. The indescribable feeling of blasting songs like these with the windows rolled down where for a second, it feels like nothing in this world matters, is exactly why I love summer.
The weeks leading up to summer, where the sun warms my skin, the salt in the air fills my scents, and the grass turns greener, instantly reminds me of how beautiful life can be. As Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty said, “For me, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” While I’m biased as I was born and raised in Southern California, I can wholeheartedly say it’s the best place to be during this season. Nothing like tanning with a side of sandwiches, chips, and a Yerba Madre. But summer has also always been a time of reflection for me. I value the quiet moments where I can take a step back, spend time alone, and honestly evaluate the ways I can improve for the upcoming semester.
While enjoying all this freedom is fun, I also see it as an opportunity to reset my mindset, set new goals, and invest in my personal and professional growth. It’s a balance between recharging and pushing myself to higher standards. Ensuring that when that next semester hits, I’ll not only be refreshed, but more focused and driven. Whether this means taking summer classes, internships, or reaching out to professionals for career advice, all become small steps of improvement where instead of bedrotting all day, I feel more productive. But don’t get me wrong, I do also love at least one day out of the week to just lay in bed and binge watch either New Girl or Love Island. It’s all about keeping yourself accountable in things that will keep improving who you want to become. Summer, to me, is more than just a break, it’s a balance of joy and intention. While they may be filled with matcha/coffee runs, beach days, and late-night shows, they’re also where I reconnect with myself. And after each summer ends, I leave with a heart full of memories, and a mind more grounded.