Saying Goodbye To Summer, And Hello To What’s To Come

School starts tomorrow, which means it’s time to say goodbye,
goodbye to the best summer I have ever known
to the summer where I grew more than I knew I could and learned more than I wanted to
where I forced myself forward and can now look back amazed, goodbye.

To the smiles and the tears, the sunshine and the tough times, and the heartache I let go
strengthened and renewed friendships, that ventured into territory we haven’t known before
living grand dreams in houses we don’t own and constant juggling of unrooted lives, goodbye

To hours of deep rough conversations and falling asleep in friend’s beds more than I did my own,
rediscovering the beauty right in front of me and the welcome warmth of the sun,
temporary living situations with constant change and the new friends that came with that,
The window with the view of the ocean and falling asleep to the crashing of the waves, goodbye

To the job that kept me structured and gave me a new vision,
And the classes where I didn’t listen yet discovered so much
The hours I thought were wasted
But actually helped me taste the future I crave, goodbye

To wandering back and forth between childhood and being an adult,
Drunk on freedom and the power to choose, yet still not able to quite do it all on our own
Falling short of self-set expectations,
But knowing it’s all ok because somehow I’m making it all work, goodbye

To holding on so tightly to people, I don’t need,
And convincing myself somehow I can make it work
Giving more time and effort than I should in June
Only to realize I deserve more in August, goodbye

To knowing these were the last moments of innocence and freedom
Before officially growing up and graduating
Turning 21 and getting increasingly braver
Before marriage and babies and real life sets in, goodbye

To the glimpses of calm and unfiltered joy
And the heartache and tears of uncertainty
I must say goodbye
and instead return
to the familiarity of fall and a life that increasingly marches on
Hello.