An ocean of tears swells up in my eyes, and a river of tears runs down my cheeks as I recall the day I heard the school bell ring, signaling the end of summer vacation. As the last few weeks passed, the countdown to the official start of school began. The final weeks of summer hit us all like a predator in the wild sneaking up on its prey. We are in our own worlds, living our best lives, unconscious of the impending catastrophe until it is too late. One day I’m in Florida, sweating from head to toe, racing against the sun to finish my brownie sundae before the sun does, and then school pounces on my mind, flooding it with memories of school through constant back-to-school advertising. While, as I become older, the shift from summer to school becomes easier to accept, it has always been challenging. I know my parents are always excited for back-to-school season because it means they will have to deal with me for at least 6 fewer hours per day, but the end of summer break makes me want to drop out of school before it starts, start a petition to extend the length of summer, and consider relocating to a county with year-round schools so that the transition will be easier and I’ll have more breaks throughout the year. 

Summer break was a time for freedom, productivity, and enjoyment. Summer break was an opportunity to break away from the typical routine and develop a new one, or to have structured free days. Summer has always been a time for me to reclaim the time that school has mercilessly taken away from me. Summer restores the time lost during the school year and provides an opportunity to reconnect with old passions while also discovering new ones. Summer was the season to be a photographer. Summer was a time for me to fill my iCloud capacity with images of anything and everything, from beaches, breathtaking sunsets and sunrises, tropical smoothies, and lavish meals to more ordinary things like flowers outside and humorous photos with friends. Summer was a period when I’d get up at 6 a.m. one day and 10 a.m. the next. Summer retrieves the time lost during the school year, allowing me to enjoy slower and hassle free mornings. When summer rolls around, I am free from the shackles and bondage of the time constraints school’s schedule imposes on me, and I am finally free! I could get a job, internship, or start a business and end the summer as a teen millionaire; I could read that book that has been staring at me all school year; I could improve my cooking skills and end the summer as a professional 5-star chef; I could exercise or play a sport with my friends and become a D1 athlete; I could learn to paint and become Picasso; or I could visit that new restaurant in town and become a food critic. When summer arrives, the sky is literally the limit. Summer emancipates me from the monotony and boredom of school.  Summer opens up an abundance of exciting opportunities that school has kept locked up.