An Optimistic Look at the Summer

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”-Unknown

School is out in two weeks. I realized this during American Government today when my professor mentioned that our final is only one week away. Not that this news is particularly worrisome, but it hit me...in two weeks, just two weeks, I will no longer be living at JBU.

A popular question traveling around campus is 'What are your summer plans?' (Although, this question has temporarily been replaced with 'Are you going to kayak, raft, or canoe to class today?' Seriously, campus looks like a miniature version of Minnesota - land of 10,000 lakes.) In fact, just yesterday I was asked about my summer plans. I sat there...staring back into this person's inquisitive face and stammered, "I...uh....I don't know."

I don't have summer plans yet. Which is kinda scary.

Therefore, I have decided that I will take an optimistic look at what my summer options are. Are you ready?

Option 1 - The Internship. Last week I applied for an internship that I really want. In a perfect world, I would get this internship and spend a happy summer in Arkansas and New York working on something that I actually want to do. In a follow up email today the company mentioned they were still interviewing potential candidates. Therefore, the eternal spring of hope hasn't dried up yet.

Option 2 - Stuck in Indiana. My friend Dustin has invited me many times to Indiana with him. It sounds like great fun, spending the summer with friends. But, unfortunately my mind can't let me get past the question "What would I do!?" Dustin's family lives out in the country, and since I don't have a reliable means of transportation, or any means of transportation for that matter, this fact could pose potential problems. I envision myself not being able to find a job and being stuck in Indiana with no money, no car, and only the goodwill of friends to keep me alive. That and forest bark...which I hear is yummy in a pinch.

Option 3 - Fat and Happy (but bored) in Illinois. I could go to Illinois, live with my Grandma, and get a job at a delicious ice cream place called Whitey's. Here's the issue. Whitey's is an intensely stressful (yet boring) job. I have a tendency to stress eat. I also have a tendency to eat out of boredom. I'm sure you can see where this is going. Stressed + bored Matthias + ice cream shop = fat Matthias.

At least I'd have ice cream.

Option 4 - Mediocre in Iowa. I could go live with my aunt in Perry, Iowa and attempt to get a job at a grocery store. At least I have friends in Perry, and I can walk everywhere. But, I kinda made a new year's resolution to not go back to Perry this year...therefore, this option creates cognitive dissonance, and we all know where that leads...

(Actually, I have no idea where that leads. Probably an incredibly boring summer, in this case, working minimum wage putting canned beets on a shelf.)

If any of you have brilliant ideas of how I can spend my summer, please tell me. I'm open to anything! Well...almost anything.

-Matthias