I’m not sure how many people know this about me – even when they know me very well – but one of my top 3 biggest worries of all time is just that – time. So I think about it a lot.
And I’ve thought about it again.
For students like me, New Year’s happens about three times a year. The first time is on actual New Year’s Day. The second is on their birthday – technically, this is REAL new year’s because it marks the start of actually living another full year on the planet. The third is the end of school and the start of summer. Nothing screams new beginnings like not seeing all the people you dislike – and a lot of people you DO like – for around two months, and getting a break from waking up so dang early…
And I love this. I love all these fresh starts. (You could even argue there’s a fourth New Year’s for high schoolers with block-scheduling – the second semester. I know that my first semester feels like a different school year!) I re-evaluate myself all the time, and I love the freedom from the pressure to stay consistent during the school year. I also make goals all the time, and the best time, to make New Year’s Resolutions is not on January 1st – I think it’s the start of summer.
(Sorry adults who work during the summer…I’m still a kid, you know…)
But seriously. Think of all the most common Resolutions:
- Exercise more
- Read more
- Eat/cook better foods
- Get outside more
- Start a new hobby
- Etc.
What better time to start those wonderful things than in the summer? Who the heck wants to start a new jogging routine with snow on the ground? Why not try it on a cool summer morning or night?
I know for a fact reading is easier to do lazing around the house or reclining in the sun (although, curling up with a book is timeless; you can do it anytime, anywhere) and if you want to get a head start on more reading, isn’t it easier to try it when you have more time, a.k.a. in the summer?
Summertime is also a versatile time for cooking, besides making soup…that’s hard to do in the warm summer months, unless it’s chilled. So come on, folks, try something new!
As for me, I have a busy summer planned for myself. Almost none of it is obligatory; I just have swim practice to attend, and I could do nothing else if I wanted. But you know me: doing nothing is not my style.
I was quite sad at the end of school, mostly because I didn’t realize the end of a high school year would be so different from the end of a middle school year.
Middle school = GET ME OUT OF HERE.
High school = hey, wait, I might not see you anymore…you’re graduating soon…I was in that club all year…and now I won’t be for three months…aw, darn it…
I know I have raved about my love of change, but Goodbyes is one category I am NOT versed in. Change, for me, is out with the old, boring stuff and in with the new, exciting adventures. People aren’t adventures, they’re people; so what do you do with them? Keep in touch, sign yearbooks, take pictures…alas…
Anyway, since the summer has began, I have taken the kitchen by storm, making messes left and right, whipping up some success and flops alike. I never realized how much I like cooking! I will never be a chef (well, never say never, but that’s not my ultimate goal as of now) but what pleasant joy it is to make something and love it too! Especially since I am making it as healthy and adventurous as possible. I’ve said before I’ve become intrigued by veganism and the like, so making a meal vegan, healthy, AND delicious is my dreams coming absolutely true!
Stemming from vegan cooking, I’ve also become drawn to the idea of growing my own food and composting. Staying as natural as possible. Though this may strike a few as peculiar, I rhapsodize (to myself mostly) about having a patch of ready to eat produce in my own yard, then recycling in compost what I can’t use/have leftover/etc. I immerse myself in the methods and tips and knowledge pertaining to both those subjects…and sometimes get frustrated that I can’t start rightnow. That’s beside the point, though.
My brain just soars with all the possibilities of stuff to do with all this time! I want to pick up the trumpet (I know it will be difficult, so stop telling me that!), I want to read a book a week, I want to cook every meal, I want to cut meat out of my diet, I want to swim, I want to play music for myself, with others, and out in public, I want to spend time outdoors, I want to write stories, I want to grow my own vegetables and fruits, I want to learn another language, I want to spend time with German too, I want to hang out with my friends, I want to do whatever strikes my fancy and then some!
So there. That’s what I want to do. It’s the summer: what do you want to do?
Let's Be Extraordinary 