Why Leaving Summer Is Difficult
“Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...”Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird
Summer is officially a wrap...
The weather will stay hot for a while, and you can still find decent summer corn, but the drift towards shorter days and time indoors is unmistakeable. Even the excitement of college football doesn't make up for the underlying melancholy of packing up the summer things.
Re-entry to real life is challenging.
When you've lived overseas for an extended period of time and return home, there's a well-documented "re-entry adjustment" process that feels surprisingly applicable to changing seasons. See if these symptoms apply to you:
- Vaguely disoriented or frustrated
- Boredom and insecurity
- Feelings of alienation and withdrawal
- Need for excessive sleep
- Communication seems challenging
- Difficulty explaining things coherently
- Thinking only about going back
If you're like I am, it's helpful to know you're not alone. The entire community of summer lovers is feeling the same pain.
So as you return to school, shorter days, and longer commute times, remember to be kind to those around you who have short tempers and appear slightly incoherent.
We're still adjusting...