Remember when you were a kid and you spent all school year looking forward to the end of May, the time of year that signaled the approach of the last day of school and the beginning of summer. Summer was always the season of ice cream, watermelon and lemonade, the season of park pools, the smell of sunscreen and playing in the sprinkler in the backyard. It was a time to dig in the sandbox all day, catch salamanders in the creek and discover newborn kittens in the barn. You could spend all day outside, wear whatever you wanted and best of all, you had absolutely no obligations or any concept of stress.

I often think of the irony of the summers of my childhood. I would go back to school, and when my teacher asked what I did over the summer, I would reply: “Nothing.” I thought because I didn’t go on some exotic vacation or summer camp halfway across the country, that meant I did nothing, when in reality, I experienced some of my greatest adventures, happiest memories, and the most freedom I’ve ever had. Now that I’m older, I sometimes wish I could go back to those days of doing “nothing”. When I started college in August of 2014, I had no idea that the summer that had just ended would probably be my last true “summer” ever.

Once you enter college, summer is no longer a time for rest, relaxation, and fun. There is no longer a sweet sense of freedom associated with the warm months of June, July and August. Now, summer is a time to gain experience. For most college students, summer means taking some classes to catch up or get ahead, getting a temporary job to help pay for tuition, doing an internship or research to gain experience, or volunteering to boost your resume. But it doesn’t stop there. Once you finish college, you either go onto grad school or get a job, neither of which include a three month long vacation in the middle of the year (unless you become a teacher).

I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating the reality of life without summer break, refusing to accept it, or resisting this change altogether. I’ve come to the conclusion that the true mark of adulthood is the death of summer vacation. I knew I wasn’t a kid anymore when I realized I’d never experience a true summer again. And even though I’ve spent the last two years trying to resist it, the effort is futile. That sounds sad. But, it doesn’t have to be sad. In fact, it really isn’t sad at all. It’s true I have lost the sweet freedom of childhood summer, and although those times are impossible to replace, I believe I have gained something. What I have gained is not comparable to my summer adventures from so long ago, but it’s something that is wonderful as well. For me, summer doesn’t mean fun and freedom anymore, it means opportunity and a chance to learn, grow and acquire new experiences, friendships and skills. Whether it be classes, jobs, internships, or research, summer is still full of possibilities. So maybe my adventures don’t involve climbing hay bales or catching fireflies (or lightning bugs as we called them) anymore. But, I’m still having adventures. Summer isn’t gone, it just means something different now, and although we may be sad at the death of our dear friend summer vacation, we should be happy as we greet a new friend: summer opportunity.