Summer Vacation

It's been three years since I've had a real summer vacation; you know, the kind where the days are spent doing anything and everything to avoid...well, doing anything. Summer jobs are a taste of the adult world, and while they do provide a little padding for the wallet, they take away from valuable freedom. Freedom is something we all yearn for, from our youngest days. The funny thing is, I can't remember ever using my freedom in any constructive way. What good is it to have days upon days upon days with absolutely nothing to do, only to spend them inside all day playing video games (or something similar)?

I've come to appreciate those times when the weather is nice and I can just sit outside and take it all in. Those times are pretty infrequent now, but then I think that's part of what makes them valuable. After all, excess of a luxury hardly makes it a luxury anymore, right?

You might be wondering why I chose this particular title for my blog, and it actually makes me puzzle a little bit too. I was enjoying some of the aforementioned time outside with my friend and roommate Alex last night, and the topic of my late graduation came up. Alex suggested that maybe I just wasn't ready to graduate yet, which cosmically caused me to end up taking an extra semester (and ultimately not graduating proper until May of 2011). I tend to like this explanation. It's not that I purposely extended my college experience because I didn't feel like it, but rather that things happened in such a way because I am still supposed to be right where I am. And I've always been a heavy proponent of the idea that things happen for a reason.

At the end of the day, do any of us really ever grow up, or are we all just kids searching for answers in a big scary world that doesn't make any sense? Do we ever stop chasing down that elusive freedom of summer vacations long since passed? I'm not afraid to admit that's exactly how it feels to me.