Today, It Was Summer

My eyes crackled open, chest heavy from falling asleep sobbing the night before. My hands instinctively wiped my eyes so I could open them, then I stretched them wide like a cartoon character. My sheets and comforter were thrown off of the bed as if I fought a bear in my nightmares, and the room felt inexplicably warm.

I cleared my throat and reached for my phone, the room brighter than it usually was for early December. I momentarily wondered if I was still sleepy and my memory was hazy, but when my phone screen illuminated my face, I saw the date was December 9th and not the middle of July.

The weather app said it was going to be 85 degrees today. It was already 77 at 9 AM. Confused but still out of it, I crawled out of bed and stumbled to my window. Opening the curtains, I was blinded as the brightness from the sun dilated my pupils and kickstarted my brain.

"Woah..." I said as I looked down at the street and saw a family going by on bicycles, a man walking his dog in shorts, and even an ice cream truck going by.

Suddenly, I remembered what time it was—9 AM on a Wednesday, when I had class at 10 AM. I rushed to the kitchen and turned on the Keurig, letting it warm up while I headed back to my room to plan my outfit.

The night before, I had laid out a soft sweater and some sweats, since I had been shivering nonstop. All I could think about last night was cozying up with my blanket and some peppermint hot chocolate, but instead I had a premature existential crisis about classes and homework.

I saw how hot and heavy those clothing pieces would be and blew them off, going to my closet and picking out my most summertime dress. If I was going to be in a bad mood, I at least needed to look whimsical.

I changed and went back to the kitchen, picking out my Keurig pod when I realized that I couldn't possibly drink a hot coffee right then. There was a short-lived contemplation on whether or not I should just go treat myself to an $8 iced coffee from my favorite spot down the street. Of course, I put the pod back, turned the Keurig off, grabbed my bag, and headed outside to enjoy the beautiful day.

"Are we sure it's December?" I mumbled to myself as I felt the heat radiate against my skin while I headed downstairs from my apartment. As I began walking to my car, bag in hand and sunglasses planted perfectly on my face, I took a look at all the camaraderie happening around me. I got to my car and stopped.

Today was the second-to-last class before finals, and I'd failed every test leading up to now. Turns out that Psychobiology wasn't for everyone. The dread that I felt suddenly lifted as I felt my mind shift and one irresistible idea entered my brain.

I decided that class wasn't worth wasting this beautiful day on.

Instead of getting into my car, I decided to keep walking and headed down the street to my favorite local coffee shop.

The version of me from last night would be furious at my impulsive decision to avoid the thing that I'd been stressing about perfecting for months. But sulking about class was for the winter, and right now, it was summer.

I arrived at the coffee shop and smiled at the Christmas lights decorating the windows. The bell rang when I opened the door, and I was met with a "Welcome!" from the staff.

"Good morning!" I said, more cheerfully than I had anticipated would come out of my mouth. "Can I do an iced lavender honey latte, please?"

"Absolutely, what's the name for the order?"

"Flora. Weird weather we're having, right?" I said, surprising myself at my sudden loss of social anxiety.

"I know, right! I couldn't believe it. That'll be $8.50, please," the barista replied. I tapped my card and stood by the pickup line.

The shop was busy and bustling, but not enough for a long line. I must've arrived last from the rush, because there were lots of people standing and waiting drinkless.

As I would normally be getting this on the way to class, this would usually stress me out. Today, I was calm and carefree.

Just because there was class today didn't mean I had to go. Just because it was December didn't mean I had to be cold. And Psychobiology class wasn't worth the mental breakdown that ruined the past week's worth of sleep.

My phone pinged. I looked and it was my classmate Annabelle, asking where I was on campus and if I wanted to hang out a little before class.

"Sorry girl, not going today," I texted back.

"Oh! I thought you were coming, you seemed stressed about your last test score," she sent back.

"I can't handle it right now. I'd rather be in the sun. Let me know if something important happens, please," I replied, then cringed at my ask for information about class. Why couldn't I let it go?

My name was eventually called, and I grabbed my drink. Walking back to my car, I started to think. If it was summer, what would I want to do today?

Post mental breakdown, I usually preferred some alone time. I had an epiphany and headed back upstairs to my apartment.

Putting my backpack down by my Christmas tree, I grabbed my casual go-to tote bag and packed it with some essentials: a towel, sunscreen, my book, and my sun hat. I was going to the beach.

By the time I made it to the beach, my drink was empty and I had no concept of what time it was. I dropped my tote in the sand, spread my towel out beneath the sun, and kicked off my shoes.

Around me, people were doing summer break activities. Kids ran toward the water, screaming. Someone was throwing a frisbee. A woman nearby was struggling to keep a beach umbrella from blowing away.

And Christmas music was playing faintly from the boardwalk.

It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen, and somehow, it felt completely right.

I pulled my sunglasses down over my eyes and leaned back against my towel. My problems hadn't gone anywhere. I looked at my phone, staring at the 43% on my latest test that had sent me into a spiral the night before. Psychobiology was still waiting for me. December was still December.

But for the first time in weeks, I wasn't thinking about tomorrow.

Today, it was summer.