Summer Again

And so concludes the first year of college. That was by far the shortest school year I have experienced yet...on the calendar, of course, but it seemed to move faster than normal. Things usually are kind of foggy from the first part of the year around finals, but I recall very clearly the course of this run. In fact, I remember exactly what I wrote at the beginning of my college experience. But here we are again, back on the solstice side of the solar system. Welcome to summer.

I'm not looking forward to this summer as I have in years past. The break will be nice, sure, but the magic, magnetic attraction to summer isn't quite as strong. Summer has always been a clearly defined period, when you have nothing to do, a nothing that has substance, a good nothing. It was a nothing that was something, something to look forward to, a reason for excitement in the bore of the last few weeks of school. It was a reason to watch the calendar, to sit and stare at the clock on the wall in class as it moved at a suspiciously slow pace. There was nothing ahead but pools, block parties, and lazy afternoons.

It seems to me that this summer will be different. It's different for some of you, but many of us are out of class a month earlier than in the K-12 phase. I'm all for an extra few weeks of break, but there's something wrong about it. If you graduate early it's a good feeling because of your accomplishment, but you miss the excitement of goin' out there on the field and throwing your hat up in the air with your colleagues. It's the same thing here--there is no more yearbook signing, no class pizza parties, no running from the final bell. It seems less innocent. It's still warm, the shadows are long, and the sunroofs are still open...but it's not as relaxing. It's not that defined period anymore, but more of a transition that bleeds one year into the next. There's still work to do, in jobs and in classes.

Maybe you feel differently, I don't know. A lot of people are looking forward to these experiences, I'm sure. Some are interested in getting a job and getting their own income, some will be happy to burn a few credits in summer classes, and some are excited to ship off to military training (although I can't fathom why.) But I'm guess I'm getting at is that things have changed. You don't realize what you have until it is gone, to sum it up in a cliché. I'll just miss the way things used to be. It is pointless to be a trout in the stream of things, because regardless of how hard you thrash, the flow is overpoweringly unidirectional. I'm not trying to fight it, I'm just reminiscent.

Conversely, I am ready for all of the pools, block parties, lazy afternoons, and ice cream I can cram in between other "mature, responsible college student" activities. Everything will still be there, I suppose. Let's do it.




"Summer nights and my radio,
that's all we need, baby...
Don'tcha know?"

-Van Halen

Current Mood: Calm

Listening To: "Growing Up" by Bruce Springsteen