It would be an overestimate to say that my summer started off with a bang. I had many plans outlined for this break, and to say that I am where I want I want to be right now would be an underestimate. As of writing this article, I am still behind on all of my summer homework. I have failed to complete all the tasks I had laid out for myself at the start of this summer, and to say that I am not disappointed would be a lie.
But now I am realizing that I am somewhat okay with it, and I'd like to think that I have gotten over it. This summer had taught me important lessons, ones that I would have never learned without letting myself down.
1. Time management is hard.
Yes, I have always had trouble with this, ever since I learned the joys of procrastination in middle school. Yet, I still cannot get over this. I tried balancing work, writing, color guard practices, band camp and so much more, and it simply did not work as well as I would've liked. June was a tiring month, and I constantly found myself pulling all-nighters and staying up until three in the morning. It was a bit detrimental to my health.
2. Working is tiring.
This seems like an obvious thing to say, but I didn't realize the extent of it. I worked last summer at a Japanese restaurant as a hostess, but it was nothing compared to the temporary management position I held when my mother was on vacation. I would be at the family restaurant for what felt like every day and every hour of my life, and I was close to driving myself insane.
3. You are going to deal with unpleasant people.
I dealt with many types of people this summer — friendly, caring, selfish, irritating and plain idiotic. I sat down and talked with many of my coworkers and customers, and often times, they may not be who I wanted to interact with. I was not prepared to tolerate irresponsible people, and I was not prepared to understand how to handle the situation. Considering how I was younger than most people around me, not everyone took me seriously. In a sense, working the summer job was a rude awakening moment when I realized that not everything was sunshine and lollipops.
4. You’re not always going to get what you want.
I did not want to work. I did not want to be a walking corpse on summer break. I did not want to be where I was in life, as it was not what I planned out. Now, I am realizing that those changes and unexpected events are okay. They are what keeps all of us from living the same, dull patterns.
5. It’s okay to “waste” a day away.
You don't have to do something everyday. If you are content with binging shows or movies, go do it. Throughout summer, I regretted all those times when I chose TV shows over summer homework, but thinking back, I now know that was what kept me sane. But be careful with this one. There is a difference between taking a day off and unintentionally drowning yourself in shows, movies and social media.
6. You have to take care of yourself, period.
Health is important. When July rolled around, I took a break from everything. And boy, those couple of days prior to band camp was refreshing. All my stress and worries were suddenly gone, and I began to feel like myself once again. Being busy does not necessarily mean you have to start eating poorly or going to sleep later and later in the night.
7. It’s not okay to sit in self pity.
I have done this countless times this summer, and it is not a good place to be. It destroys your mental health as well as your physical health. If you're unsatisfied with anything, reflect on the situation. Attempt to reverse the situation or take action to improve it. It is hard, but it at least you would've done something about it.
