I’m currently residing at Houghton College in Upstate NY, and the weather we’ve had in the past couple of weeks has been absolutely incredible. The mornings and evenings are cool but comfortable, and the days are so warm! Because of the warm temperature and clear skies, I’ve been able to work on my assignments outdoors - which has surprisingly kept me motivated and not distracted. The thing is, though, I’ve always been in love with the warm weather and if you’re anything like me, you’ll understand why.

Energy. For real, when the sun is out I get so much more motivated and happy and enthusiastic about everything in life. And it’s a noticeable difference from when the days are dark and cold. I’m not going to try to get into the science behind why that’s the case, mostly because I’m not much of a sciencey person and I don’t want to terribly embarrass myself, but I can personally say from my own life that I just feel more alive and energetic when the days are bright and warm. A lot of people have said that the warm weather is too distracting for them, but there’s something about the sunshine that fuels my drive and helps me become more productive.

People. Especially now that I’m living on a campus, when the warm weather appears - so do all the people. I really like walking out of class and seeing life everywhere, it makes my tiny campus feel a lot bigger and more lively. For Arbor Day, my college had an outdoor dinner and I loved getting to be with all my peers and just enjoy the warm weather together. On regular days, though, everybody still soaks in the sun; People will assemble their hammocks and relax in the shade of the trees, some people get together and throw a frisbee around on the grass, and then lots of others just plant themselves at a picnic table or bench and do their work. Me? I typically tend to join the picnic table crew. Even if we all are doing our separate things, there’s this undeniable feeling of togetherness when we’re all outside in the sun.

Adventure. I might not speak for everyone here, but adventure seems to come so easily for me when the sun is out. It might be a part of the “more energy” idea, but on warm days I seem to find myself longing for adventure - and my friends always seem to be up for the fun as well. It could be anything from driving to a nearby lake and spending the day hiking around it, or it could be just walking around campus and having to wade through the creek blocking your path. Almost all my favorite memories are associated with the warm weather, so I firmly believe that warmer days are the best time for making memories.

The freckles and the sun tans, the smell of cut grass and the abundance of Vitamin D, the sunsets and the picnics - warm weather brings about so many beautiful things. I’m crossing my fingers that the cold days are behind us, because I’m so in love with the warm weather.