mollymiller

Saying goodbye to summer is like saying goodbye to your best bud. You never see it coming. One day it’s May 21, and before you know it, boom. Here it is: August 14. All of the sudden your good friend Summer is gone, all you’re left with are memories of better times and lots of syllabi. If you are like the typical teenager, you may go through the five stages of grief every year around this time.

Stage one: Denial. Pretend it’s not happening. School can’t be starting. We just took our finals. There’s no way school will start, so don’t sweat it. Just think for a second. If it still feels like summer, then it’s summer. The weather is still hot. Maybe if you pretend it won’t happen, it’ll just go away. School is a figment of your imagination. It’s not real. Freshman Lizzie Burn is still in denial. “It just hasn’t hit me yet!” Seriously, it’s not going to happen.

Stage two: Anger. Do you feel like your blood is boiling whenever somebody mentions homework? You’ve made it to the second stage. You’re livid. It’s not fair. I swear the first day of school gets moved up every year! Why are we subjected to classes and homework and projects? Just rant. Complain. Make a scene, maybe throw a temper tantrum. Yell. Scream. Make sure everyone knows how irritated you are over the thought of hitting the books again. Just let it all out. You should slightly resemble a mix between Oscar the Grouch and the Tazmanian Devil. Clare Crockett is still angry about the school situation. “I’m stressed with the workload and college, and I just want to enjoy the year, but there’s a lot of pressure. Summer was such a nice break.”

Stage three: Bargaining. Maybe if you go on one more trip, you’ll be fine. If you could have just one more week of freedom, school wouldn’t be so bad. If these thoughts are running through your mind, you’ve hit the third stage. You may feel unfulfilled. You didn’t live up to the summer hype. You promise to never procrastinate on another paper ever again if school wouldn’t start so soon. You would even read the all-school summer read if you could have just another week. Junior Shania McAmis knows the feeling. “All I wanted was just a few more weeks.” McAmis said.

Stage four: Depression. Why even bother getting out of bed? Going back to school means the end of everything fun and happy, so what’s the point of even going through the motions? That’s right. You’ve stepped into the fourth stage. Suddenly, the reality becomes clear. There’s no more tanning by the pool, no more sleeping in all morning. Why even make an effort? All hope is lost. The jovial late nights are over, and you will soon be very accustomed to early mornings. You understand that Soph Lot is a very real possibility. Yep, life is pretty much over.

Stage five: Acceptance. This is the end of the line, the last stage. You don’t really want to accept the fact that summer is a thing of the past, but what choice is there? You’ve already gone through every stage, so now it’s time to put on your big girl pants and realize that it’s the end. The fight is useless. School is here, and it’s here to stay.  Whether we like it or not, living the summer dream is in the past. So go ahead and have a good cry let the tears stream down your face, because you lost something you can’t replace. Watch a sad movie, and while you’re at it, finish up all your Netflix shows. Now it’s time to let the hem out of that plaid skirt. Don’t feel bad if you’ve slept in it a few times already this year, we’ve all been  there. Organize your planner, you two will be close pals for the next nine months. And seriously: finish up that summer read, it’s time. Now dry your eyes, because the last step is to fight through the pain. Just throw yourself in. There’s no going back. As freshman Carolyn Griffin puts it, “Being at Marian is an experience that makes you open your eyes and realize you’re a part of this. “ It’s time to get back to your home away from home. It won’t be that bad.