500 days of summer?

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan, basketball great.

Or should I say 500 days until summer? Or 500,000 days until summer? Because it sure feels like we’re that far away from blissful freedom. And yes, I am aware that Guyana doesn’t have a summer (Dry season, anyone? No? After all, with this climate change kicking in, even that seems like a wish). And no, this isn’t going to be some long-winded review of the movie ‘500 days of Summer’. So you’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting some Zooey Deschanel or some fan-girling over Joseph Gordon-Levitt (unfortunately). I did warn you that expectations could be dangerous things to have.
But on a serious note, it’s that time of the year. That time when exam students are on study leave, at home, supposedly free of the confines of school. That magical time when we get the urge to chuck our textbooks at the wall only about seven times a day.
The time when in the middle of revising for Caribbean studies, it dawns on you that the topics you’re covering are topics that adults talk about, topics that adults write about in newspapers. And with that epiphany, comes the rising panic and the absurd idea that you’re practically an adult as well. And just to test out your fear, there’s the inevitable sprint to the nearest mirror to check for grey hairs, wrinkles and crow’s feet.
Of course we’re spending our study leave getting mind-blowing epiphanies instead of erm… studying.
But being in the midst of trying to work ridiculous math problems (and trying to convince yourself that there is a point to these seemingly irrelevant formulae), your mind inevitably wanders to much more pleasant thoughts – like what it would feel like when these exams are finally over.
And the end of the exams would of course, mark the beginning of summer…the endless sun-filled holidays, that glorious time of the year when lazy days are the norm, you gorge yourself on junk-food and bathing is optional (kidding! Or am I? No, I really am kidding. We love lolling in our bathtubs).
The holidays have always held that special allure. I guess because they’re like weekends, all stacked together, back-to-back for two whole months. It’s like TGIF times infinity.
And yes, the holidays are that time when you can run, jump, play cricket, climb trees. That time when you get to release all of that pent-up exuberance that you had to keep in while you slaved away at your desk during school.
But that doesn’t mean that as kids you should take ridiculous life-threatening risks. There can be accidents, you know. Have fun in safer ways. You don’t have to swim in the deepest water to have fun.
And for goodness sake, the Curb Drill wasn’t taught to you in primary school as just some cute rhyme. You need to observe it. Too often, during the holidays, I would see kids just darting across the road without even looking to see whether there’s any oncoming traffic.
And maybe their parents are giving them free reign to do as they please, to get their kids out of their hair for a few minutes. Maybe the parents are thinking about their childhood when they could freely play in the streets or climb trees relatively frequently. But times have changed; there are so many vehicles now, that within minutes of you setting up the wickets, you have to clear them off the street for some car to pass.
It’s a bit more dangerous on the roads than in the ‘good old days’, so parents, give your kids freedom to have fun, but within reason.
Hopefully, this holiday won’t be marred by reports of little kids getting into accidents or drowning.