The first day of summer, June 20, is right around the corner and with it come thoughts of relaxing days spent at the beach and poolside lounging. There is nothing most of us anticipate more than thinking less about academics and more about all the ways we can enjoy doing absolutely nothing.
      
      But for most of us, taking full advantage of the nearly four months we have off can be a difficult task to do without our cell phones and laptops close by. A road trip to Florida is not complete until pictures have been uploaded to Instagram and status updates have been posted to every social media site in existence. While keeping friends and family virtually updated is a great form of communication, we tend to miss out on memorable moments because we’re too busy looking down at our phones, figuring out which filter looks best on that picture of you buried in the sand. We get lost in a haze of Facebook notifications, Twitter feeds, text messages and emails and forget to get in touch with reality.

      Remember how fun it was to play outside with friends as a little kid? Remember how you always anticipated the start of a new day so you could play outside again and hated when the sun went down too quickly? Treehouses, flip-flops and popsicles – that is what summer is all about.
      
      So get outside and go for a walk, grab a snowball, or go to the park with friends. Put down the cell phone and channel your inner six-year-old while you still can and make the most of this summer.
      
      “Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.” – George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones