When you were in school the year was split into days between vacations. You always looked forward to days off of school and long holidays. Especially summer vacation. Summer vacation to me…at least till I was 17… meant swim team and long days of playing outside in my family’s pool. Each year, by the end of summer I was so excited to get the next years school schedule and begin to call friends to see if we were in the same classes. In college it was a bit more of the same, but summers then began to get less carefree due to having to get a job. But what is summer to us now? To most of us summer is the same as any other season. Just hotter.

I was talking to a friend the other day and he mentioned how we never truly appreciated summer vacation when we were younger. It was just always there. And I really never thought about it till then but it’s totally true. Summer vacation was just something to take advantage of. Now, days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and next thing you know it’s Christmas again! What is that saying? “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?”

I told my husband that I thought we should move to Greece. Why you ask? Well a family friend’s sister lives in Kalamata Greece. I was told that there, in the summer people don’t really work, and that they congregate at the beach and such. Shops close down during certain hours and people relax. To me that sounds amazing! Now that is an adult summer vacation! My husband told me that we are NOT moving there…but maybe someday I can wear him down.

Most of my female friends are teachers. So their summers are spent relaxing. Due to the nature of my job I normally get the benefit of their company for lunch every once in a while or maybe a hooky afternoon lounging by my pool…but I am always jealous of the fact they have at least 2 full months of not worrying about work. I know..if my dad is reading this he’ll be thinking “I told you to become a teacher” but that’s not the point. The point is that I want my summer vacation back. And now that it was brought to my attention that I do not have summer vacation anymore…I want it even worse.

So now I am left to pout. I sit here looking out my window and am mocked by the pool that sits across the street, as well as all the people lounging by it. I guess that’s what I get for living in a community where many are 55 and older and retired. And now I am left to remember those carefree days of summer when I was a little girl. Can I get that back?? Please?