It’s that time of year again and the spring semester is coming to a close.

For those who are graduating, congratulations! Enjoy the world you are about to enter, and celebrate your accomplishment.

Students are getting ready to hit the summer head on, whether they will be going home or staying in Buffalo. Summer is the time that many – including myself – go back to work full-time to pay for college.

People will be filling out their resumes, filling out applications, going on the job hunt, and trying to present the best versions of themselves to potential employers.

We bury ourselves in schoolwork, bury ourselves in our jobs, bury ourselves in relationships, and put so much pressure on ourselves. It isn’t healthy. It’s okay to take a step back and relax once in a while.

Whether you share the same experience or are already working full-time, remember one thing: take some time and enjoy yourselves.

We will not be young forever. Now is the time to explore as many possibilities as we can. Go to a concert, go travel, take in a baseball game. Balance things out. As stressful as life gets for college students and for people graduating, there has to be a way to escape the insanity for a little while.

I’m not saying to ignore work. On the contrary, work is important. We all need to keep ourselves busy and need to get paid somehow. I know if I was cooped up in my house all the time, I would go nuts.

Is there somewhere that you have always wanted to go? Is there a goal that you have had in mind? The summer provides some time to do those things.

I’ll be working two jobs and sixty hours per week. I will lose my mind if I don’t give myself the chance to enjoy my summer at least a little bit.

I have a goal of visiting every major league baseball stadium before I die. Last year I went to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, this year I’ll be going to Philadelphia to take in a Phillies game.

Whatever your thing is – whatever your passions in life are – make it happen.

Take a weekend road trip to that destination, the journey in itself will create memories for a lifetime.

Hit the beaches, get your tan on, enjoy the weather, go to an amusement park, or eat some cotton candy. Go see Blink 182 and A Day to Remember at Darien Lake, it will be a great experience. Money comes and goes, but memories are long lasting.

Elbert Hubbard, a famous writer and philosopher once said “Don’t take life so seriously, you’ll never get out of it alive.”

You know, the quote two thirds of our classmates used for their senior quote in high school.

Though, the words ring true. Relax a bit, you all work hard and you deserve to enjoy life.

Balance is the key. Do your thing and enjoy the summer!

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