A Breath of Fresh Air

Take a deep breath.

Slowly, exhale.

Do you feel it? Do you feel the tension ease? 

Do you feel that tightness in between your shoulder blades loosen? Do you feel that weight on your heart lift?

For all my education buddies out there, breathe that sweet air. That's summertime. (For those of you who are still plugging away, don't give up! The light is there, waiting for you at the end of the tunnel.)

As I've blogged about before, as much as I love what I do and the students I work with, summer is a time to breathe easy. It's a time when the rush, hustle, and bustle of the school year dissipates, and calendars open up to days without structure, days full of free moments. Of course, this doesn't mean that idleness reigns supreme; on the contrary, summer is a time when I seek to be more productive than ever. Summer is a time when I can break out that ever-growing project list, and block out whole uninterrupted hours of my day to get things done (as opposed to the school year, when my students pop in and out of my office like the Caddyshack gopher). 

But summer is also a wonderful time to reflect on the academic year past - I have completed 2 school years at IU now (and the calendar two year anniversary is in August). It is a time to think about how I've grown as a professional, and how I can continue to stretch myself. It's a time to reflect on all the things I've learned, and to ponder what lessons I still have yet to learn. 

I'm going to be productive this summer, for sure. I plan to do quite a bit of writing this summer, both here on the blog and also some professional topics. I plan to clean and organize my office and my apartment, continuing my #OneWord theme of "simplicity" and practice streamlining my life. 

But more than anything, I plan to breathe the sweet summer air. I plan to spend time with friends, making memories to last a lifetime. I plan to relax, to stop pressuring myself to perform 24/7 and to just spend some time just being, living, breathing. 

Take another deep breath.

Slowly, exhale.

It's summertime, y'all.