A rough school year has finally come to an end. The moments of being drowned in school work have stopped. No more nights of stress; I’ve stayed up late studying and crying over math homework that I have no idea how to do.

Although I experience dreadful minutes in school, there are memorable moments that make the day much greater. For example, visiting friends during passing time and causing a traffic jam in the hallway, or even talking to new people I may have never met before. But setting aside all of the end-of-the-day stories, I always look forward to my summer vacation.

During summer break, I feel as though there are so many activities I could do, but I won’t get to them because I’ll have various excuses for myself such as, “Sorry I can’t, I’m too tired,” or “Sorry I’m not able to do that. I’m laying in my bed being lazy watching a Twitch stream.” This is why I want to set a goal for myself; I want to force myself to get up, go out, and have a memorable time with whomever I may be with. 

Number one of forcing myself to have an exceptional time is to not let anyone else ruin my mood or my energy. I stand by this because if someone I’m with isn’t having the best time and doesn’t match my energy, I don’t want to ruin mine. If I want to do my own thing, let me do it. I want to be loud, dance and sing, and listen to music, and some people are not interested in that. That’s okay; don’t take that out on me. 

Number two: take risks. By taking risks, I don’t mean I want to rob a bank or break into someone’s house; it means that should try and do an activity that I wouldn’t normally do. It’s always been the same thing. Go to a beach, go to the pool, ride a horse. But, of course, I enjoy the activities that I’m involved in; I’m always looking forward to trying something new. This winter, I tried skiing for the first time; if I had never gotten the courage to try that, I would’ve never known that I’d love it in the first place. 

Number three: find a balance. I find it hard to balance horses, friends, family, and my boyfriend all in one. Sure, I do love all of them, but I need to find a center of balance in time. So now that summer is coming up, I’ll have all of my days open and have space for all of them. Now I’m not saying I’m going to schedule a day for each of them because that would be unfair, but I will make sure to have an even amount of time for each.  

Lastly, number four: take a break, and relax a little. There are times where I don’t always need loud noise, taking risks, and dancing. There are times when sitting down and watching T.V. or talking at the dinner table with what feels like family is okay. Relaxation is my biggest fear and what I need to work on the most. I’m not skilled in being quiet or just having a moment face-to-face with another individual, but once I practice what it takes to loosen up and sit back, it becomes more accessible, and I have a particular family to help me along the way.