“Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. For those few months, you’re not required o be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you courage you don’t have the rest of the year. You can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out.”
– Deb Caletti
You roll over, stretch out, and look at the clock. It’s noon; the sun is shining; and, you’ve got no cares in the world. That’s right: It’s summertime.
When you’re younger, you itch for the bell to ring at the end of the day on the last day of school. It rings, and you jump out of your seat and run out into the hallway excited for all the fun and freedom that summer entails. As you get older, the anticipation is the same, but the opportunities summer holds are much different.
With each summer comes another year of history, and whether or not you’re proud of the history varies. It can be very difficult to feel like you have your personal life in order while the hustle and bustle of college is at play, but as soon as summer arrives, you have much-needed “me time.” Summer is a time to relax, to travel, and to simply have fun, and it is also a chance to reflect on who you’ve been and to determine who you want to become.
Peace of mind is not easy to achieve, but it is much easier during a time of low stress and ample free time — a time like the summer. Allow yourself to take the time this summer to look within yourself and find what you want to improve. Though it sounds cliché, you have to dig deep and allow yourself to deal with the things that have been holding you back. Without doing this, you can’t move forward and truly grow as an individual.
Mistakes are not reversible and flaws are inevitable, but you have the power to do better and to be better if you are willing to do what it takes to get there. Summer is the time to discover new things both in the world around you and within yourself. It is the time to put judgment aside and embrace who you are so that you can be your best self. If you commit to working on yourself, you will feel a sense of freedom and happiness that you may not have even realized you could feel.
“Open the door” this summer, and be open to where it leads you… wherever that may be.