The Murray State News

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Sports

For many college students, "summer vacation" is anything but a leisurely time filled with endless days of recreational fun. Many will go home and work to replenish their bank accounts after a year of college costs has taken its toll. Some will serve as an intern to gain much-needed experience in their field and improve their resumes, and some will stay in Murray to take classes to expedite the road to graduation.

What happened to the summer vacations of our childhood? Spending the long days doing anything our imagination could conceive, and only limited to as far as we could pedal our bikes. Excuse me for getting nostalgic, but it seems like the seasons pass overachieving college students by with only glimpses from a classroom or cubicle window.

Fortunately, with all the opportunities right here in Kentucky's backyard, we can still salvage what may be the last time we will have three months to ourselves. Of course, when we are frantically thrust into the clash that is the corporate world, that internship we had at a reputable firm with an ampersand in its title will look nice on our resume. But is this the best use of our time?

Now, I am not saying disregard all your responsibilities this summer. I know that the purpose of college is to groom us for adulthood, but perhaps there is a healthy balance of work and play. It seems our generation has grown up without a conception of spare time. Even for some of us, our childhood summers were used to obtain an experience to use later down the road. Whether it was being a team player on the traveling baseball team, having the qualities of a leader pounded into our minds at summer camp for two months or learning the ropes of economics through our three neighborhood lemonade stands, there was always a sense that there was something we should be doing. Left to ourselves, we fidget and grow paranoid.

There is no better time to turn to the outdoors for rest and relaxation than summertime. Days spent cooling off at the lake, weekends camping under the stars and hikes in the cool shade of the woods are images of summer vacation in my mind.

To get away, you do not have to flee to the mountains or disappear on a ship in the ocean. There are many ways to recharge your battery and connect with the natural world right in your backyard. Land between the Lakes is the perfect getaway for a day or weekend to experience a cornucopia of activities.

Of course, there is no better way to cool off than a dip in the lake. Puttering around in a boat and taking in the scenery of the shoreline is sure to clear your mind of the heaviest burdens. A strenuous hike reminds you of that excitement you felt exploring as kid, and the fatigue afterwards reminds you that you are getting older. Night fishing feels new and exciting as you rely on other senses and notice things such as the hoot of an owl or the smell of the air that you normally would miss under the bright sunshine.

Use this summer as an alibi for rest and relaxation. Spend some days barefoot and reminiscing of the past summers. Many times I want to return to those more simple times. Everything was much better back then, or so I remember. The sun was warmer, the water cooler, and the days were longer. Summer vacation made all my activities happier.




Steve Miller can be reached at steven.miller@murraystate.edu

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