1. Adventures: I need the beach – day trips or week excursions. I need kayaking on the rivers and lakes that surround my house. I need fishing and swimming. I need hiking and getting lost in the woods, pretending to be Sacagawea. I need spontaneous adventures with my friends in the middle of night when it’s a cool 75 degrees and not a cloud to cover a single star. I need those spur-of-the-moment trips to Orioles stadium on five-dollar Fridays. I need trips to cornfields in the middle of the night just to see how scared we get. I need the county fair and amusement park outings. I need exploring new territory and trying new things – I need those adventures.
2. Healthier living: I need that natural glow of skin from countless hours spent outside or spread out on the beach. I need the natural highlights that make my hair look so much lighter. I don’t need a layer of makeup to hide imperfections, because my tan now does that for me. I need to be able to just leave the house with little preparation. I need those perfect, natural curls that fall around my face and freckles that cover my cheekbones. I need to go for a cleansing bike ride as it erases my winter coat. I don’t need to worry about how I look, I need to be confident – I need that healthier life.
3. Summer Food: I need that juicy slice of cold watermelon or those crisp handpicked strawberries. I need chargrilled burgers with a side of local asparagus and cool avocado. I need those Maryland blue crabs doused in Old Bay seasoning. I need to feel the icy sweetness of a big spoon of ice cream hitting my tongue. I need to contemplate which flavor of shaved ice will suit me best. I need refreshing summer drinks that cool down your body temperature on a humid day. I need farmers markets and vegetables grown in the home garden– tentatively picked and cared for by my parents. I need large BBQs like Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July. I need all that summer food.
4. Friends: I need my friends. The ones I grew up with. The ones that know me best. I need my work friends, my high school friends, and that person that is more than a friend. I need to catch up on good times, listen to all their stupid, embarrassing stories and I need to tell mine. I need to hear about heartbreaks and love successes, reminisce on all the stupid and fun memories we made, and I need to make new memories. I need to tell them about the new friends I have and the ones I no longer care for. I need to vent to them and them to me. I need them to express how much we appreciate each other. I need to feel wanted – I need my friends.
5. Music Festivals: I need hot summer days spent amongst a crowd of thousands all gathered together for the same reason. I need to be close to people in a tight space, all bouncing back and forth because of a shared love for a particular band. I need to meet new people with different backgrounds, different lessons, and different outlooks on life –new people that are passionate about the same things as I am. I need the free propaganda from the non-profit organizations trolling the site. I need those food trucks with unique and flavorful food, all with a different purpose. I need to spend a solid 12 hours in the hot sun, traveling around acres of land, in search of my next artist and singing as loud as I can all within the presence of my friends – I need good vibes.
6. Carefree living: I need freedom. I need to be able to wake up whenever I want. I need my car to go wherever I want, whenever I want, without having to wait for anyone. I need to be able to run errands when I need to, as opposed to waiting for a shuttle, and I don’t need to worry about grades or annoying teachers that enjoy making students struggle. I need to be able to run around in just a bikini and not care, not confined in layers and layers of clothing. I need to sit in my enclosure reading some random novel, while an afternoon thunderstorm approaches. I need to cuddle with my puppy as we listen to that same thunderstorm. If I wanted to do something, I could do it – I need to be carefree.
7. Surge of money: I need my serving job and my second family whom I spend a majority of my summer with on those 8-10 hour shifts that make my feet burn and smile weary. I need to deal with those annoying customers that treat me with little respect, and those customers that make me forget about the annoying ones and remind me why I love my job, and with one nice gesture, make my night. I need that grumpy tiredness that arrives at the end of shift; only to become cheery again once I head out for my midnight adventure. I need that rewarding feeling of going into my shift with zero dollars and leaving with 50 (on a bad night). I need my bank account to be happy, not pathetic. I need to be able to comfortably spend small amounts of money without stressing, and have some to save. I need to feel like I am actually accomplishing something and can partake in the real world – I need money.
8. Happiness: I need all of the above. I need them for one end game. I need that overwhelming feeling that everything is good in life; yes, there will be stressful moments but when isn’t there?! I do not need winter blues or pale woes. I need my crazy parents, my fat cat and my wild puppy. I need my amazing friends and that certain someone that is more than a friend. I need my beautiful home state of Maryland. I need to feel that summer sun beating against my bare shoulders and the humidity in the air as a storm builds. I need it all – I need that happiness.
I love my school. I love learning. I love my friends at school. I love my Phi Sig sisters. I love my job at the rec center. I am happy. But I need summer. It’s a different kind of happy. It’s been a long and rough winter. I’m “schooled” out. I need to recharge my battery and a different kind of happy; a happier happy, I just need summer.
