“Summer, after all, is a time when wonderful things can happen to quiet people. for those few months, you’re not required to be who everyone thinks you are, and that cut-grass smell in the air and the chance to dive into the deep end of a pool give you a courage you don’t have the rest of the year. you can be grateful and easy, with no eyes on you, and no past. Summer just opens the door and lets you out.” ― Deb Caletti

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Ah, summer break–that magical, much anticipated time of the year for both students and educators. We spend 180 days counting down to these first few beautiful weeks–to that first morning where the alarm clock remains silent and the coffee is sipped slowly in the calm of mid-morning.

Summer break gives me permission to slow down physically and emotionally. In these first 30 days I have taken long naps, walked in the park with my husband, and had long, enjoyable conversations with family. I have also been able to catch up on laundry and house work–and all at my own pace.

With the anxiety of a looming bedtime and early wake up taken away, I have the flexibility to schedule (or not schedule) my day however I like. I like being able to grocery shop during non-rush hour times and experience the park at noon on a week day. I like being able to put my hair in a bun, be in my pjs all day and play video games till the wee hours of the morning giving no regard to time.

In essence, I like being able to just…be…me.

I like sleeping in, cooking for my family, playing video games with my husband, sending my kids goofy texts/memes, watching old Frasier episodes at 1am, and calling my mom “just to talk”. Summer break allows me the freedom to do these things without the nagging anxiety of the strict school year schedule. It gives me a break from who I am “supposed” to be and allows me to explore who/what I “want” to be.

This morning I woke up at 5:30. Voluntarily. Brilliantly. Quietly.

I am grateful for this time. Summer has indeed opened the door and let me out.

Summer- like life, is short and you don’t have to be “on” summer break to capture and enjoy its spirit and essence. So even if you have alarm clocks and schedules directing your day, I challenge you to open your own figurative door and let a little bit of that summer spirit into your life.