f r e s h s t a r t

Monday, July 11, 2005

 

The summer of the…

We’re a third of the way into July and I feel like summer on its way out. Perhaps it’s because so many people I know are starting something big and new within the next month or two. Tiffaney is starting her MSW program, Lindsay will start her Teach for America stint, Cleo will be moving to California, Mark will start law school (welcome back to Chicago, btw), and I will also be starting law school. I have to-do lists posted all over the place, which I studiously ignore when my brain decides that it can’t handle all of the stress or the tedium, and that really the most important thing to do after work is to make some guacamole and reread a Harry Potter book or two. I know that I’ll feel better once I’ve done everything that I could possibly do to prepare, but the desire to have fun and relax is one that I want to give in to while I still can. I want to hang out with friends, spend time outdoors, see baseball and theater, go to festivals, hear music, and that’s what I’ve been doing, or will be doing in the next few weeks.

The previous two summers were also marked by transitions and big distractions. I’d prefer to remember the distractions over the transitions and will therefore call the summer of 2003 the Summer of the Marathon, and the summer of 2004 the Summer of the Dog (although I adopted Henry in January, having a dog in the summer was a fun new experience). I’m not sure what I’ll call the summer of 2005 in retrospect. It feels kind of similar to the summers of 1998 (Post-High School, Pre-College), or 2002 (Post-College, Pre-First Real Job), which were mixtures of excitement, longing for what had just ended, and enthusiasm for what was quickly approaching. And road trips, angsty conversations with patient friends, and a determination to not let any of the fun of life pass me by.

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