Spring fair has come and gone, the last few weeks of the semester are in sight and I can’t stop thinking about summer. Hopefully, after an entire year of school you’re not wondering how to meet people, but rather what to do with the people you’ve met.
For better or worse, summer’s almost here and for some that means living in another city apart from their friends at Hopkins. The distance of summer poses even more problems for couples who, after living within two minutes of each other for the past months, can find themselves hours apart.
Admittedly, the idea of video chatting someone for three months with only a few weekends together is daunting, if not terrifying. In the words of Tina Fey, it can be a complete “deal-breaker” and you might be tempted to throw in the white towel now.
Don’t. Instead, try to find a balance between making loose plans for the summer and enjoying the last few weeks of school. There are too many great things going on in the last few weeks of school to be worrying about “what if such-and-such” happens over the summer.
I’m neither for nor against summer relationships, because every relationship is different and unique in its own way. Some couples are great together and will have to “suck it up” and get by for three months, video chatting and maybe even picking up a boring hobby in the meantime.
For other couples, summer won’t be that easy and their relationship will be tested, but there’s no reason not to enjoy the present because of what you think might happen in the future.
I’m all for open communication and going into summer with a loose plan, but realize that no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to plan every detail of the summer.
Forget making plans to video chat everyday at 5 p.m. for exactly 47 minutes or something ridiculously precise like that and instead just agree to keep talking. If you like each other, then talking with each other, even if it’s over Skype, should come naturally enough in such a way that you don’t need to make these plans.
Realize that sometimes these relationships require more faith and blind optimism than anything else. It’s frightening, I know.
The point of the article isn’t that summer relationships are challenging or whether or not you should try to have one. Rather, my point is to find a balance between enjoying the time you have together right now and making loose plans to comfort you before the summer begins. If you worry too much about the summer now, when August comes around you’re going to regret not having an awesome time at the Wiz Khalifa concert (see you there) because of an argument. If you like each other, have some faith and roll the dice.
Those students graduating this semester are in a much more complex situation, but I think my advice still holds. They’ll have to plan out where they’ll be living and their job situation in more detail, but I still don’t think planning every detail is possible or advisable. Senior couples are in a much more complicated situation, but that’s no reason not to enjoy the time they have together now.
So instead of letting the idea of three months apart taint the month you have together, show some faith and have a good time now. Between the long days in the library and even longer nights out, summer will be here soon enough so enjoy the semester while it lasts.
