Courtney Muenchow | Staff Writer
Finals are right around the corner, sure, but more importantly, so is summer. We’ve already experienced glimpses of the summer weather ahead of us, and it won’t be long until our days will no longer be filled with classes, school activities, and ACES events. The days in the next three months will be ours, not BVU’s. Now, what are you going to do with your summer to make the most of it?
First, it should be taken into consideration that most of us have a summer job that takes first priority over our hours away from school. Whether it’s a part-time job at your local grocery store or a full-time position at the factory on the edge of town, a way to make money is usually necessary for college students.
The first step to making the most of your summer, then, is to make sure the job is a good one. A good job doesn’t necessarily have to pay you $12 an hour, although if you can find one of those, let me in on the opportunity! A good job can instead be a job that you enjoy, or it can be with people you like to hang out with. If none of those apply, then you’ll have to find a way to make it fun. Maybe that means competing with your coworkers in little tasks, or maybe that means pretending you’re on a reality TV show, surrounded by morons that you have to get along with. Whatever it is that works for you, do it. A job can be only a way to make money, but why not make it worth your time in amusement?
Don’t worry too much if your job is less-than-desired. If you can make it through your scheduled hours, you should still have time afterwards for the things you really want to do with your summer. Then again, what do you do with all that free time no longer devoted to class and homework? Don’t stoop to Netflix’s level of binge-watching all of Breaking Bad for the third time just to pass time. There are so many better ways to spend your time that you couldn’t do in the long winter months.
Swimming is a perfect example of this. Who wants to swim in a frozen lake? While I’m sure a handful of people wouldn’t mind doing that, the rest of us sane people might prefer a warmer atmosphere. As a Minnesota native, I might be slightly biased towards swimming in lakes, and highly recommend it to anyone who lives near enough to a nice, clean lake to do so. Rivers, in the right conditions, are also great places to enjoy the water, if your state doesn’t have a ridiculous amount of lakes to choose from. Perhaps start a game of water polo. Build a sand castle. Fulfill your dream of being a mermaid for a day. It may sound childish, but children are the masters of fun. Perhaps borrowing a few of their activities is just what’s needed for the summer months.
Maybe you don’t like swimming. Not a problem! The beach is a great place to have fun, too. You could start a game of beach volleyball or sand soccer. If you’re feeling a little lethargic, maybe just a good nap in the sand is what you need. Read a book on the beach if that’s what you’d prefer. Just make sure it’s a good book! Maybe have a beach campfire at night, if it’s allowed.
Better yet, have a campfire wherever you can! Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, stay warm while keeping the mosquitoes away with fire smoke. Bonfires are also fun ways to hang out with friends. Invite some people you maybe haven’t talked to since you were last home and catch up around the fire. Dig up some good ghost stories and see who’s scared easiest. Maybe you can tell them all about the ghost of Swope, right here on the campus you lived at. Tell some funny stories that happened throughout the year. There will be plenty of laughter, and that’s one of the best sounds of summer.
If you have friends willing to join you, try out some sports. Start a game of soccer or basketball. Maybe baseball or golf. Find a tennis court and try your hand at that. You don’t even have to follow the official rules. If you want to make a mash-up game of soccer and tennis, you go for it, and send me the rules because that sounds fun! If you’re not a sports fan, maybe just go on a walk through a park, do some bird-watching or people-watching or whatever it is you’re interested in. Maybe malls are your thing. Window shopping is always a great activity, and you’re sure to find some interesting people in malls, too. Do whatever sounds fun, perhaps without even spending a dime. Even rainy days can be fun. Those are the days to crack open that new video game, or read that new book.
If you’re really desperate for something to do, I suppose that Netflix can return. But don’t watch Lost for the fourth time; try something new. You’re better than Netflix’s selected programs. You survived an entire year at BVU, so go out and celebrate! There are three months to do what you want, so make the most of it.
As for the seniors… Welcome to the world of taxes and career choices. I’m sure you don’t need to be told to continue to have fun where you can and make the most of not only your summer, but your life. Just because you’re one step closer to being a responsible adult doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself like a child. Children know how to make the most of their summer, do you?
Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons
