By Dominique Leclair, Contributor
The winter semester has been over for a couple months and most of us are now fully immersed in our summer routine. Living the summer lifestyle can involve lots of time with friends you have neglected for the past eight months; late nights enjoying every minute of sunshine; participating in all the activities that you reluctantly declined during the school year because an essay was due or an exam was looming; or just laying back and taking it easy because you know come September you’ll be back in the hectic routine of huge projects and deadlines. Whatever summer means to you, it has now completely evaporated every memory of what you had to do over the last eight months to get to this point.
Summer can be filled with unexpected moments and experiences. It is a time of relaxation and playing in the sun. Of letting go of responsibility, even if for a moment or two, before the whisper of falling leaves that not only signify the advent of fall, but of obligation and meeting expectations, our own and those of our instructors. But for now, all of that is left behind and we get to relish in a lightness that is mirrored in later days and bluer, clearer skies.
This time last summer I was juggling my full-time work experience job and taking nine credits of class at school. It was a lot of work, but there is something about summer that even when there is still lots to do, it just doesn’t feel as heavy as it does during the other months of the year.
This season is also about beginnings and ends. For me, this summer marked an end to school with my April graduation, and the beginning of a career in the field that I have spent the past two years working towards. Maybe it’s a good thing that the weather hasn’t been the most conducive to my usual favourite outdoor activities. There has been enough going on with starting this new journey to keep me distracted from missing my summer fun.
Whether this was your last semester and you are off to brave the real world, or this is a much-needed break before September returns, or if you are one of the few taking summer courses, this season has its moment. It’s a moment when you can stop and decide where you want to go from here. Are you going in the direction that you want to? Are you close to finishing your program? If you are, what lies ahead? This time next year will you too be looking for employment? Will you be prepared for it? Right now—when everything feels relaxed and everything more manageable—is the best time to ponder these questions. It’s the time to plan how to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself by going to school and completing your education.
So, soak it up. Experience everything this season offers. Let this laid back, unfettered moment help you make the most of your education and your life. Before you know it, the call of school will be here and all that free time will go as quickly as the fading sun.
