To Be Re-Read on September 3rd, 2013

I’ve been wanting to work on this post for a while. I want to commit my goals for the summer to paper (bandwidth? screen? How does this work?), and inspired by this no-nonsense post from Mallory Bower, and this more expletive-laden sentiment from Nicole Antoinette, I want to use this summer and the slight reprieve from the academic year’s grind to refocus. So once this is read, consider it sealed, not to be opened again until September 3rd, 2013- the day before classes start, and the eve of my first anniversary at Emmanuel College.

*Please note, Emmanuel: the first anniversary is the paper anniversary, so a larger check would be a great way to commemorate this event 🙂

Dear Amma,

Fall is nearly upon us! Where did the time go? I’ve been looking for it, but I have no idea where it went. I suspect it got misplaced when you switched purses- check when you get home?

How’s the book coming? Your big hairy goal, as they say, was to finish writing it. Did you stay on schedule? Who contributed? How does it feel? Does it speak the words you wanted to say when the idea to write it first came to you? And how are you going to let the world know that you’ve committed your thoughts to paper? I know you’re not big on tooting your own horn, but when you finish a book, you get to do those things. So swallow your pride, stop being shy, and accept that you’ve done something big.

Summer is a time to reconnect with friends. Have you done that? Between the Boston crew, your friends elsewhere in Mass and New England, and even across the rest of the country, you have a lot of people that make your life bright. Be they personal connections, professional ones, or some indeterminate combination of the two, these are the people with whom you should be giving of your time, praise, interest and support. I hope you made time to see them, catch up on their lives, participate in their milestones, and make new memories.

It’s not all going to be play. While the work schedule looks a little different in the summer, you do still have to go and live your extremely long job title. Have you done what you wanted to do when you set up your summer schedule? Flashy ideas for a new look for Emmanuel College involvement initiatives lay in your tiny but capable hands; I hope you didn’t let hiccups in collaboration or even your own logical thinking get in the way of the dreams you have for the student group workshop series, the online co-curricular transcript tool, the division-wide leadership assessment, and collaboration with the Good Work Project. These are good ideas, and you’re more than capable of making them realities, and not regrets.

And there’s going to be some hard work ahead of you in two areas: your running and your finances. November is coming, and so is the Wine and Dine Half- how’s the training going? A plan for training has never really been our style, but just going out and doing it has been. I hope you haven’t let fatigue, boredom, laziness, or scheduling get in the way of your plans to crush this race with your friends. And what’s more, think of the clarity and “you time” training always gives you. Those moments of running free of worry or anxiety are why you started doing this. Keep that in mind when motivation wanes; it’s good for you, in every way it can be. Do the work and get it done! Make your third Wine and Dine, your best one 🙂

And the money…just, pay attention. Know what you need, and what is just shiny and feels as though it has to go home with you. Is it hard when your friends don’t always have the same goals, or have a little more flexibility with their money? Sure, and there might have been some tough situations where choices had to be made that seemed standoffish or even rude. But you know what you need, and how to make it happen. It feels awesome to not owe anyone money, so move yourself as close to that goal as you can. In the moment it’ll be hard, but in the long run you know you’ll appreciate it.

Make this summer relaxing, make it fun, make it accomplished, and make it yours. Enjoy the summer of Amma, you’ve earned this one.

Take care,

Amma

What would your letter to yourself for the summer look like?