Summer:
Getting out of bed on a summer day feels like waking up the morning after a sleepover. You stayed up super late and had lots of fun, but now it’s time to reset. The birds are chirping happily and the neighborhood kids are already playing outside. Summer’s sunny and lush landscape is beautiful, annoyingly hot, yet charming.
Summer is a time of relaxation. The final school bell symbolizes total freedom for the next 3 months. To me, this freedom means spending time being outside, hanging out with friends, and working on myself. It’s sort of like coming up for air while swimming. Every student dreams of that sweet relief while groggily working on assignments in March. It’s that flamingo floaty to hold on to when you’re in the deep end, but your toes can’t touch. That’s what summer is, a fun break that helps keep you afloat among the tiredness of life.
A break from the stress and demands of school. A break from the constant pressure of good grades and being on time every single day. A break from quizzes, retakes, Muskie Time, and school-related stress. Finally, a chance to create something different and hopefully better for the next year. This is the time to fix what you were unable to work on while busy with school. A time to work on everything that you aren’t in love with.
The break is peak time for all plants to flourish. In the spring, plants fight to emerge from seeds. The hardest part is the first step, but things only go up from there. Afterward, Summer brings out the gifts of nature. Similar to plants, people grow over the summer, too. More than hair or height, but mentally. Summer is a time for learning important and unforgettable life lessons.
Summer brings opportunity. With a schedule filled from 8:20 to 3:30, it’s nearly impossible to find opportunities that can squeeze their way in. In the summer, having multiple things on your plate is easier to balance with more time on your hands. There are opportunities everywhere, and in the summer, sometimes they seek you. Whether it’s a new job or lifestyle change, having time and freedom helps when adjusting to these changes.
The end of Summer creates a fresh start. After a long 3 months of toes digging in the sand, layering sunscreen every hour, and wild car rides with blasting music, it’s time for another change. despite the ones over the summer, the end of summer starts the brisk and beautiful season of fall. The new school year rolls around, the summer heat tones down a bit, and it’s time for a whole new wardrobe. The end of summer provides a new start to discover new friends and follow one’s passions. Summer is more than just a break; it is a pause on everything around you and a time to prepare.
Winter:
Getting out of bed on a winter morning feels like ripping off a bandaid after acknowledging it’s gonna hurt. But as you relax in your comfy pajamas and winter attire, everything feels a little bit better and calmer. The simple white and bland landscape of the snow is somewhat depressing, but tranquil.
It’s hard to find motivation in a time of bland nothingness and a lot of school. But it’s also a time of peace, and to look back on your year and all of the good moments and the people you love and care about. It’s hard to get out of bed on that winter morning, but there is more outside than a cold battlefield. There’s ice and snow, but also trees fighting to be seen so they can break through again, and green grass just waiting to bloom. That’s what winter is, a time to reflect.
Reflect on the love and joy from people around you. Reflect on education and work ethic. Reflect on what was accomplished. And finally reflect on the seasons before and what good has carried over into the calmness of winter. This period of reflection is also a time of planning, a time to plot what the future holds and what you’ll do when the sun shines again. It’s planning on the love you’ll disperse to others and onto yourself.
Winter holds holidays of love. Christmas is conceived on the joy of a baby being born, and spending time with family and loved ones. It’s about spending a meal together and picking out presents meant to spread joy. Receiving presents is a part of winter, but the reason behind presents is to provide joy in a lackluster time of the year. It’s to celebrate new beginnings like birth, with all sorts of new things. The new gifts on Christmas celebrate the new beginnings with the new year approaching. You’ve spent time reflecting, now it is time to look forward to the new year as winter’s end approaches.
Winter ends with love. Finding love in the darkness and dead trees, finding love in those around you. And finding love in the repetitiveness of work and school. Valentine’s Day is the perfect beginning of end the for winter. It may appear to be all about cheesy candy and rose petals, but it’s more of a symbol of love spreading even in the roughest time of the year. It’s about appreciating those around you and realizing that winter really wasn’t that bad.
