I can hardly believe that today is the first day of June already. Last week's weather definitely made summer feel far away, but sometime over the weekend, it arrived. After cool weeks full of rain, summer finally made an appearance here Memorial Day weekend and hasn't gone away yet. We took Shelby for a walk Sunday night after seeing Thor, and I could smell that familiar scent that reminded me of what summer used to be: getting out of school, spending days at the beach, coming home for dinner, then heading back out with friends to play night games--capture the flag, ghost in the graveyard, and whatever else we could make up as we went.
Even in college, summer was still summer. Summer school was my favorite, and even though I was still in school, it seemed like a break from real life. The first summer I lived in Lincoln, I lived in a fraternity with some sorority sisters, both of whom I didn't know very well but we all soon became great friends, and it was a blast. We'd come home from work--internships and part-time jobs--and cook dinner in the huge kitchen (generally frozen dinners, thank you very much), have game nights, watch Law and Order: SVU, occassionally go out, and talk, talk, talk. I eventually learned how to deal with the humidity, finally, so the rest of my Lincoln summers were just as good.
I spent a summer in D.C., learning what I did and didn't want to do for a career, and figuring out a ton about myself. I attended a black-tie gala, spent the Fourth of July in the Capitol City, missed my friends a ton, learned to eat by myself, be by myself, take public transportation by myself, met a favorite author, and had an experience like no other in my life I can think of.
After starting my first, real full-time job, I lost my summer, or at least in the sense that I had more free time to play with. Instead, my summer days were just like any other--at work 8-5--except the pantyhose was a lot more uncomfortable in hot temperatures.
This summer, everything will change again. Unlike when I was in school, summer is the busiest time for me. I start working 18 hours in July, up 10 hours from what I was doing previously. And even now, we've really geared up on my hours, so I've been working about 15 hours.
I know, I know, that doesn't sound like a lot, but I sure come home tired. I think it's because when I'm at work, I'm at work, and using different parts of my brain than I'm used to. I could sit and edit all day and come home exhausted because I'd been gone for 10 hours. But now, I come home after a few hours mentally exhausted because I've been out challenging myself in ways that I hadn't before: public speaking, research, analysis, crazy organizing, and conversation, just to name a few. Though I suppose I've got the crazy organizing part down.
I have to admit, there have been a few times since starting work part-time that I've questioned my decision. NOT because of the actual job, but because of me and how hard I am on myself on days when I don't accomplish everything (or anything) that I wanted to and I feel like my etsy store and everything else I thought I would do at home are just not what I want them to be (cough, my only 84-word novel, cough).
But then I realize how much I love my part-time job, and that I'm living life full-time. Even if it's untraditional, I have so many opportunities that I didn't have before. I can do whatever I decide to, and I'm working at a job that has truly allowed me to take risks. I have time for friends and time with Nathan and time with Shelby and time with myself. And there's a ton of value in that, even if I don't complete a list of things I think I need to do. There's always time tomorrow to do the dishes.
Even in college, summer was still summer. Summer school was my favorite, and even though I was still in school, it seemed like a break from real life. The first summer I lived in Lincoln, I lived in a fraternity with some sorority sisters, both of whom I didn't know very well but we all soon became great friends, and it was a blast. We'd come home from work--internships and part-time jobs--and cook dinner in the huge kitchen (generally frozen dinners, thank you very much), have game nights, watch Law and Order: SVU, occassionally go out, and talk, talk, talk. I eventually learned how to deal with the humidity, finally, so the rest of my Lincoln summers were just as good.
I spent a summer in D.C., learning what I did and didn't want to do for a career, and figuring out a ton about myself. I attended a black-tie gala, spent the Fourth of July in the Capitol City, missed my friends a ton, learned to eat by myself, be by myself, take public transportation by myself, met a favorite author, and had an experience like no other in my life I can think of.
After starting my first, real full-time job, I lost my summer, or at least in the sense that I had more free time to play with. Instead, my summer days were just like any other--at work 8-5--except the pantyhose was a lot more uncomfortable in hot temperatures.
This summer, everything will change again. Unlike when I was in school, summer is the busiest time for me. I start working 18 hours in July, up 10 hours from what I was doing previously. And even now, we've really geared up on my hours, so I've been working about 15 hours.
I know, I know, that doesn't sound like a lot, but I sure come home tired. I think it's because when I'm at work, I'm at work, and using different parts of my brain than I'm used to. I could sit and edit all day and come home exhausted because I'd been gone for 10 hours. But now, I come home after a few hours mentally exhausted because I've been out challenging myself in ways that I hadn't before: public speaking, research, analysis, crazy organizing, and conversation, just to name a few. Though I suppose I've got the crazy organizing part down.
I have to admit, there have been a few times since starting work part-time that I've questioned my decision. NOT because of the actual job, but because of me and how hard I am on myself on days when I don't accomplish everything (or anything) that I wanted to and I feel like my etsy store and everything else I thought I would do at home are just not what I want them to be (cough, my only 84-word novel, cough).
But then I realize how much I love my part-time job, and that I'm living life full-time. Even if it's untraditional, I have so many opportunities that I didn't have before. I can do whatever I decide to, and I'm working at a job that has truly allowed me to take risks. I have time for friends and time with Nathan and time with Shelby and time with myself. And there's a ton of value in that, even if I don't complete a list of things I think I need to do. There's always time tomorrow to do the dishes.
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