The Strength of Summer

The Strength of Summer

Why are summers important? School years are long, arduous, and challenging. Yes, I am aware that “teachers get the summers off”, however, what most people don’t realize is that teachers work at least a summer’s worth extra during the course of a school year.

And don’t get me wrong, though it is challenging, I find it rewarding. I enjoy my job and the lessons that I learn from my students.

The truth is that there is a long stretch of the year that is harder than the rest – from about late October until Spring Break can be a brutal stretch. Everything seems to turn grey, you rarely see the sun, it’s cold, and at times just downright dreary.

Investing in Summer

That’s why we invest in the summer. It is an opportunity to recharge, to build memories, to find adventure. And as a teacher, I bottle all those things up and store them for the grey times.

Last summer, as a member of the Kia Family, I had the opportunity to seal some of those memories in a brand new Kia Sedona. The vehicle had room not only for my family but also for all the adventures we could conjure up on the way.

There was a trip to the Louisville Slugger Museum, ice cream shops galore, a gator boat ride, and many more mini excursions between our home in Indy and our ultimate destination in Indian Rocks Beach in Florida.

Once to our destination, we continued to explore – I think we hit 7 ice cream shops, Legoland, and a few other mini adventures. One of my favorite adventures? We rented a paddle board (made possible only by the Sedona) and took it out to the ocean. My daughter handled it well. I, on the other hand, found multiple ways to fall. But it is an adventure that we otherwise would not have had.

Know what else I enjoyed? The sound of the waves crashing on the beach. The beauty of the sun setting over the ocean. The majesty of the fireworks over the beach. The tranquility of the road as the Sedona transported my family, our memories, and some sand back home to Indy.

That was last summer. And that’s what got me through the grey part of the school year (and eventually the even harder sprint from Spring Break to the end) – the strength of summer. When the school year got to be a little tough and overbearing, I could close my eyes and hear the crash of the waves or remember the comfort of the ride and the adventures we conquered in the Kia Sedona.

Adventure awaits. Will you grab the wheel?

A special thanks to Driveshop and Kia for the Sedona loaner. Sorry about the sand. Consider it the debris of adventure:)

To see some of the fun adventures that my friends have gone on (like my friend Jeff at OWTK, or my friend Clarissa at Clarissa Explains It All, or my friend Natasha and her Conversations from the Soul– just to name a few.) check out the #KiaFamily hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. I will be sure to share more of my adventures (and some of theirs) in the weeks to come. In the meantime, here is to summer!