Everything Summer Blog

Happiness is....

I have heard a lot of different New Year's resolutions, most involving self-betterment, through diet, fitness, exercise, volunteerism. There are vows to take on new challenges or give up bad habits. All of them really are aimed though to make the person who is doing the resolving, happier. There have been books devoted to seeking happiness (i.e. the aptly named The Happiness Project), essays written, innumerable philosophical discussions amongst philosophers, college students,teen-agers, parents, pre-schoolers, you name it.

So, what is happiness, and how do you get it? Is it as easy as all those quotes posted on someone's Facebook page or is there more to it? Ralph Gardner, Jr. of the Wall Street Journal, wrote an essay in December entitled, "A Study in Happiness" , in which he attended a meeting of the St. John's College New York City "Happiness" Executive Seminar. This particular seminar revolved around an essay by Seneca. While Mr. Gardner lamented the choice of refreshments, he was happy to have spent "90 minutes... without cell phones, in communion with someone who lived 2,000 years ago, and was both smarter and shrewder than anyone else you're likely to encounter over the course of your average day."

Happiness, as even Lucy from the Peanuts comic strip could tell you, is different things for different people. One child might want to play sports-- hit, kick, and throw balls all day long. Another may be happiest reading or creating art projects, or playing guitar, or singing. One woman may be enormously happy when she finishes a marathon, another when she sees an old friend. Sometimes, it seems nothing will make teen-agers happy. However, everyone (perhaps teen-agers especially!) benefits from time away, from changing up their routine. Whether it is vacation, camp, an academic summer program, a visit abroad, a new job or volunteer opportunity, everyone should take time this year to make a change, to view things from a different angle, to allow themselves to appreciate the things they have that do make them happy.

Summer Love

Remember the movie, Grease? Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta had an idyllic summer teenage romance and returned back to high school to find that they were classmates. Many people fondly remember summer romances-- at camp, at summer programs, at the beach, away on vacation.

A change in venue over the summer allows teen-agers to be more confident and perhaps try on a new persona. Some of these romances continue and for a few, turn into marriage, but most end with the summer. Technology has added a new twist. A couple of months ago, in an article entitled Skype Postpones Sweet Sorrow, the New York Times noted how Skype has allowed far flung romances to continue into the winter months. This obviously has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to summer romances that may have succeeded in large part because both parties knew there was a built-in expiration date.

However, Skype, AIM, iChat, Facebook, texting, and even old-fashioned e-mail are invaluable at keeping younger children and teens (depending upon the medium) connected with people with whom they established a bond over the summer. This can be a great outlet for a fourth grader who experienced lunchtime drama at school or for a high school junior anxious about the SAT's and college visitations. Long holiday week-ends and vacations provide a break from the daily school routine, and many children and teens use this time to reach out to their summer friends and hopefully plan face-to-face get-togethers. Technology is great, but it only goes so far!