News, Tips, and Insights

Sometimes it feels like you blink and summer’s over. Soon there will be no more sleeping in, no more goofing off and no more pleasantly warm weather. Make every day count. In the last few weeks or days of summer, make a few pleasant memories to make sure your summer goes out with a bang. Call or text your friends and get to work having fun before most of your energy goes toward school and homework again.

Between school work, part-time jobs and responsibilities at home, too many high schoolers let their passions and talents get pushed aside. But there’s a lot of merit to exploring your interests while in high school. Some interests might prepare you for a future career, and your time in a student club, team or organization might prove a resume-booster or a great addition to your college application. This year, as you head back to school, join a team, club or organization and decorate your car with stickers to celebrate your group spirit.

Whether it’s her first year as a teacher or her twenty-fifth, celebrate the start of a new school year for the teacher amongst your family and friends. Make his day with a small gift commemorating his love of education and the long hours he puts in to make sure every child feels valued. Let your back-to-school gift be the first to celebrate a milestone in her career or give her a gift simply because you’re proud of her and the work she does. You needn’t spend much to show the teacher in your life you appreciate her.

Maybe a job or romance brought you to a metropolitan area — or maybe you’ve just always had a bit of a spirit for adventure. But just because you’re never alone doesn’t mean you don’t get lonely. Surrounded by tens or hundreds of thousands or even millions of people on a daily basis, it’s easy to get a little homesick for the small town or suburb in which you grew up, where people tended to know one another and there was plenty of space to relax and enjoy nature. Keep a little of the small town vibe in your heart in the big city, and getting used to your new home will become much easier.