Gone are the days of open summers full of wonder and anticipation. We have traded in our swimsuits for company shirts, and we are diving into the adult world. After working the past three days in a row, I found myself thinking back to the simpler times when our days were determined by the boat we were going on and whose mom was going to let us come over. Here's a few things that mark the differences between childhood summers and adult summers.

Being excited to go to the pool or the beach... versus being excited to get your paycheck.

At work, I find myself staring out the windows on a beautiful summer day, wishing that I was outside at a beach or a pool or literally ANYWHERE else but at a cash register checking out customers. But every other Friday on pay day, I'm happy that I made the decision to work five days in a row.

Going back-to-school shopping with your parents... versus figuring out how you're going to pay for the books you need for this semester.

Two hundred dollars for a book I'll use three times... are you kidding me?

Playing with the kids in the neighborhood... versus driving an hour to see your friends from college.

My childhood consisted of the neighbors and me making a fort in my backyard and creating "office desks" out of tree trunks. Now, all the neighborhood kids are grown up, and we don't use the fort anymore. Instead, we pack a bag and drive an hour or more to see our friends from college. I'm so excited to see them that I pretty much launch myself in the car, but sometimes I do miss convening in my backyard with the kids in the neighborhood for daily "office meetings".

Being excited to wake up early for softball tournaments on the weekend... versus hating yourself for agreeing to work that nine hour shift on a Saturday.

Why did i sign up for this? Sacrificing your weekend to work may hurt your heart, but with every hour that goes by, your wallet gets a little thicker. It's all about a positive mindset, right?!

Receiving mail when you were little... versus receiving invitations to get a credit card.

Gone are the days of being excited to receive mail. Now, I look in my mail pile and see letters from banks about getting a credit card and invitations to get student loans. I'm sorry, I just can't.

Constantly making plans to hang out with your friends... versus coordinating your work schedules to see each other.

Trying to find a time where all of your schedules match up might feel like an out of reach miracle, but nothing feels better than a much needed break seeing your favorite people.

Being upset you spent your day doing absolutely nothing... versus wishing you spent your day doing absolutely nothing.

As a kid, I used to think that sitting around the house doing nothing was the worst kind of torture imaginable. Now, I wish I could lay around in my pajamas all day and have absolutely zero responsibility to get up and go do something.

Dreaming about the day you would grow up... versus wishing time would slow down.

I wish I could tell my younger self to slow down and appreciate the wonderful perks of being young. As much fun as I'm having being independent in college and making my own money, I occasionally think back to when times were simpler and we weren't all planning for our futures. Now we understand when the older generation says, "Man, those were the days!"