I got my hair cut today. I’ve gone to the same person to get my hair cut for my entire life (since I was three!). Last year, I was at college and really needed a trim. It had probably been at least 5 months since my last trim, and my ends were getting really bad. My college friends tried to convince me to go to somewhere near campus, but I refused. I just don’t trust anyone else to cut my hair the way I like it. If she ever retires or I ever move away, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I mean, I’ve gone to a multitude of different doctors and even different dentists, but I have trust issues when it comes to my hair. It might be due to the fact that the one time I went somewhere else, I came away with my hair two different lengths in the back. Or maybe I’m just crazy.
Summer is coming to a close for me. On Sunday, I’ll be returning to college. I’m not really sure how I feel about heading back. I’m not sure I’m ready for my last summer to be over, but I’m also excited to see my college friends and start a new year. I think some of my resistance to returning is because it is my senior year, which is kind of bittersweet. Just when you finally feel fully established at college, it’s time to move on. I suppose life is like that in general. Change is good, but also a little scary. There is so much unknown about the future at this point. Who knows where I’ll be this time next year. For all I know, I might be in a different country. It’s just a weird feeling.
This summer was also a little weird. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t absolutely fantastic either. I think I had high expectations and the summer didn’t quite measure up to them, but at the same time, I don’t feel as if it was a bad summer either. I ended my summer job yesterday. I was excited to be done and have a few days off before heading back to college, but I have to admit I might have shed a little tear as I pulled out and drove away. I really liked the people I worked with and know that there’s a chance I might not see many of them again. They were really sweet and gave me a little going-away present: some pretty (and great smelling!) soaps, a yummy cookie, a store t-shirt, and a Gingersnap-scented candle. It was a good experience overall, and I think I learned a lot from it.
I worked a lot this summer. I really needed the money and the experience is great to have had, but I also feel that I didn’t really get a “summer”. I didn’t get to go on vacation with my family. I didn’t get to visit new places or just spend time relaxing in the sun. I just worked. A lot. This summer, more than ever, I missed the carefree summer days we had when we were kids. When we could play outside for hours, or read an entire book in a day, or spend the entire day at our grandparents’ house. When I think of summer, those are the summers that I remember. The summers when our bathwater was really dirty as it drained, washing away the evidence of the hours spent running around barefoot or wading in the river. The summers when I would forget to eat meals because I was so entranced by a book. The summers when we would play nightgames around our neighborhood for hours, staying up way past our bedtimes. Those were the best of days.
The Oke Den 