The last few days at Lawrence have been marked by an unusual amount of good weather that I believe has at last signaled the coming of summer. Though glancing at a calendar would have told me the same thing, having two days of sunshine in a row was much more compelling for someone who has seen sunny days turn into snowstorms almost instantaneously.
Unfortunately, other signs of summer have also begun showing themselves in more frustrating ways. It began a few weeks ago, with various friends over Facebook and Twitter announcing to the world that they were free from college or high school.
Then, like snow melting in the mountains from the summer heat, the trickle became a flood and the announcements poured in left and right. I saw many Lawrence students begin to grit their teeth every time they looked at a computer, reminding themselves they still had a few weeks before summer.
Some students tried to remember that our winter break is better than what any of our semester-schedule friends get. Envy makes short the memories of all, though, and the messages don’t stop and one too many “beach party,” “Going on a cruise 2morrow!”or “camping trip” announcements can cause some of us snap. It’s hard not to envy your friends in this kind of situation; summer is the most freeing time of the year for most of us.
A mood has descended upon some students — that is equal parts frustration and envy — that I would like to call Summer Envy. Why are they done with school and I’m not? How dare they!
This mood’s symptoms look much the same as senioritis, and for some seniors getting a double dose of these summer blues and senioritis might be a bit extreme.
Fortunately there are dozens of ways to combat this growing frustration and apathy. Some of us have tried to make good use of this, inviting friends to see Lawrence with all the free time they have. Instead of wishing you were with your friends having a good time, bring those good times to Lawrence.
Another great way to stop yourself from being preoccupied about summer is to instead focus on what you want to do with your remaining time at Lawrence. Go out with a bang in your schoolwork, add an extra something to a paper or project. Whether this is the end of your first year at Lawrence or your last time here, treasure it, try not and fall into the apathy train, waiting for summer. Waiting will only make time slow down and you’ll be stuck, doing nothing.
For those returning next year, just remember that you will have a lot of extra time at the end of summer. While your friends in other schools will be lamenting their new large classes, you can be kicking back enjoying your summer job, internship, vacation or movies. So ride out the wave, it’ll be summer soon enough and hopefully all Lawrentians will have a great one!