Okay, so hanging out with your friends (or not) over Summer can be a little tricky sometimes. This is especially true when you’re mostly used to seeing your friends at school since once school is out, there are different challenges that come up like not being able to see each other, or not exactly knowing what to do when you do see each other since you’re not on your usual routines. Here are five tips to keep in mind to make the most of all of it!
1. DON’T underestimate how much fun you can still have without your besties this summer. While it’s true that once school is out you can technically spend more time with each other without teachers looking over you, more often than not, summer STILL keeps you from many of the friends you enjoy talking and laughing the most with. This can feel very isolating. At some points you may even ask, “If we’re not seeing each other, are we still friends?” You’ll have time to figure this out later, but for now, just know this: you can definitely still enjoy the gifts of summer sunshine even without the cast of your besties surrounding you.
2. DON’T worry if it seems like “things are suddenly changing” with your friends for some strange reason. The fact of the matter is that things, including people, are always in motion. Even through the sluggish nature of the season at times, things continue shifting all around us. Take the tectonic plates of Southern California, for example; in less than three weeks this summer 2019, we’ve had hundreds of earthquakes rattling everything around us! So even the earth is moving, my friend, just like us. As it was during the shaking and rolling quakes, the whole feeling of “being out of control” over what happens with your friends can be strange and overwhelming. But then, after you get through it, it’s actually a pretty cool Cuento to look back on. And you know how much we love Los Cuentos!
3. DON’T just copy what your friends are doing because that’s the only way you can stay friends. I’m going to remind you of a little secret we can all lose sight of as we “grow up” together: It’s a myth, as in, not true, that you’ve got to be “just like each other” to remain besties with your buds. The fact is that each of you can do the things that satisfy you personally, even if they’re very different things. You do not have to walk all the same streets together, or even walk and talk in the same way. If you truly “got each other’s” backs, you’ll respect the differences between you. 100!
4. DON’T let your friends miss their next chance to win a new Los Cuentos Hoodie. That would just be selfish. And wrong. Tell them about the contest so you can all give it a shot together like true friends. Or, I guess you can do it on your own! It’s your life! Don’t let me stop you!
5. DON’T just watch your friends’ stories online and figure that’s all there is to do. I know, this one is really hard. Our phones are addicting, even if most of us don’t like admitting just how addicting! But there’s good news: Human beings were doing just fine without smartphones thousands of years before they took control of our fingertips! Which simply means that you can definitely take just a few hours away from your phone to do something of your own thing. But hey, isn’t it ironic, or just a little funny, that I’m advising you to take time off your phones from my website, which by default requires you to be online, and which probably means you’re still spending more time on your phones watching other people’s stories, which is what this item on our list is advising you not to get stuck on?!
Okay, that’s enough, then! Excuse me while I unplug for a little while, friend.
J.T.
[…] you have your own life to lead. Plus, if you truly care about each other–just as it is with your friends–you have to respect the other person’s differences. Does that mean that if someone […]