1. Don’t rush time. I’ll be honest, summer is not my favorite season. While there is so much that I do love about it (the sunshine, beach days, vacation, and time to rest, to name a few), I find myself losing interest in the summertime about a month after school lets out. I eventually miss the structure that school offers, and I miss being able to see my friends everyday without having to schedule a time and place to meet. I love learning, and ever since starting college I’ve found so much joy in going to school and expanding my knowledge and getting to learn and discuss new things with my peers. Additionally, this summer presented me with a number of challenges related to new jobs and figuring out where to invest my time and energy. For a while I felt like I just couldn’t wait to go back to school. But during a hot July afternoon I met up with one of my besties, Evie, for coffee and a catch up. It was an instant mood booster getting to see her, and the whole day felt simple yet joyful. The upbeat music playing in my car on the way there, the crystal blue sky, the calm ambiance of the coffee shop where our friend works, a tight hug, and a refreshing glass of iced green tea; when I take a step back to admire what’s right in front of me, I realize that everything I want and need is already here. The school year is super exciting for me, but at the same time it presents a number of different challenges that I’ll have to overcome like the ones I did this summer. Each season of life carries its own set of trials to be faced and fears to be haunted by, along with simple treasures to be discovered when you take the time to search for them.
2. Travel doesn’t fix everything. I used to have this idea of traveling, that if I hopped on a plane and turned off my phone and walked through a city I’d never been to before, all my worries would fade away; my mind would be overcome with the flavors of exotic meals, the sounds of new songs, and vibrancy of culture and landmarks. To an extent, that kind of escapism does work temporarily, and discovering new places is one of my favorite things to do. However, when shutting out the lights in my hotel room in Cabo earlier this summer on a family vacation, I realized that all my fears, anxieties, worries, and doubts traveled with me. None of the things I had hoped to escape from stayed back home. No matter where you go, you cannot escape yourself. Sometimes you just have to sit with those emotions, no matter where you are. Thankfully those feelings passed and I enjoyed the trip so much, but I find it valuable to recognize how no matter what external circumstances surround you, your internal environment is one that can never be escaped from.
3. Stop waiting for “highs” to be happy. Sometimes it feels like I need to be falling in love, or working on a fresh new creative project, or going on an outgoing, exciting adventure with my friends in order to feel some sort of adrenaline rush, a “high” of happiness. While those things do make life exciting, they make up only a small portion of our actual lives, leaving the rest to feel mundane and repetitive, things like morning routines and going to work. However, I realized how important it is to find contentment in the small miracles in order to fully embody a positive outlook on life. Sometimes it’s simply the breath in my lungs that serves as a reminder that every day, exciting or not, is worth living.
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