PHS PERSPECTIVE: Balancing summer ‘bucket lists’ with reality

By Marissa Delikouras
   We tend to start our summers off with so many aspirations, planning the people we want to see, the places we want to go, and the things we want to accomplish before the warm, relatively careless days are replaced by cooler weather and heavier workloads.
   We may create such “bucket lists” with an idea of an endless summer in our minds, believing there is time for everything — even time for wasting — and that the falling leaves of autumn are far, far away. Yet, before we know it, it is the end of August and we find ourselves bewildered at the speed with which the summer season flew by and perhaps not having done what we set out to do.
   Although subject to various interpretations, a bucket list enumerates some of what we’d like to realize before we die, or more appropriately, “kick the bucket.” As it applies to the summer, specifically, it maps out activities we wish to participate in now that we are granted time otherwise unavailable to us during the school year.
   ”For me, it’s a way to catch up on what I missed out on when I had school,” said Laure Hartmanshenn ‘14. “I list all the fun things I didn’t have time for then.”
   There are many who fill their summer bucket lists with reckless, sometimes unrealistic endeavors. Taking a road trip through several states is a prominent example. But wouldn’t one get sick of driving around for so long? Who’s going to pay for all that gas? Do high schoolers, with such brief driving experiences under their belts, even know where they’re going? Are they ready to deal with potential car troubles? Where to stay at night?
   There is often much planning and consequences that go overlooked when we scribble down plans at the beginning of the summer. It’s no wonder we can’t place a check mark beside them at the end of the summer.
   Simplicity may be the key to creating a successful bucket list. Points that do not require much money and/or planning, yet still provide for creative ways to spend the summer days, should compose a bucket list.
   ”There are so many little things you can do with friends or even by yourself that make the summer great,” said Lianyi Wang ‘12. “You can take a bike ride along the canal, paint at the battlefield if you’re into art, cook summer dishes at home, take a day trip to a nearby beach, and so much more.”
   Another way to squeeze in all of our plans for the summer is to set deadlines for ourselves. Designating the specific dates we want to complete each activity on or by, may help us move more smoothly down our bucket lists.
   A to-do list is what a bucket list is not. Sure, we may be obligated to finish our summer reading assignments, fill out our college “brag sheets,” or complete pages in our SAT practice books; but a bucket list focuses more on what we want to do, rather than on what we have to do. Nonetheless, we must take the latter into consideration when planning the former.
   ”Every day I tell myself that I’ll do at least one thing that is school-related,” said Hartmanshenn. “Maybe it’ll be some of my math packet or vocab note cards for the SAT, and if I don’t do that every day, I know I’ll end up slacking off for two weeks or so.”
   We can’t just fill out bucket lists with enjoyable, but time-consuming, endeavors when we know that other priorities exist.
   It is so easy to let sunshine drown away all our concerns and the “long” days fly by us, to the point where we don’t even remember the date. I know I hate being asked what day it is during the summer time.
   However, a fruitful and memorable summer should be a goal for all. We may accomplish this by remaining realistic and simple in the plans we make, keeping track of time, and considering our responsibilities, especially academic-related.
   Marissa Delikouras will be a senior at Princeton High School in the fall.