For millions of K-12 school children, the three “R’s” traditionally refer to reading, writing, and arithmetic. When it comes to summer break, graduate students have three “R’s” too – recuperation, recalibration and, with luck, relaxation. If one is able to capitalize on these three “R’s”, there is a good chance one can also accumulate some “Z’s.”

The winter break is just over one month. The first few weeks are spent decompressing from the trials of the previous semester and the last few weeks are spent preparing for the upcoming semester. A graduate student may have a few days in the middle of these weeks in which to feel rested and relaxed. If a year of grad school is a trip to the gym, the winter break is a visit to the drinking fountain in between weight training and cardio.

Ah, but that summer break! It is as long and languid as the days themselves. The summer break at Columbia College Chicago begins the second week of May and extends until September. There is plenty of time in these four months for everything. The stress of classes has time to bleed away as one’s body remembers what it is to feel normal. The idea of “self-care” becomes more than just a theory and one has ample time to plot out the distant semester. There is even time to focus on one’s work, something paradoxically neglected during the school year.

This is not to say graduate students don’t have responsibilities during the summer – all adults do. We have to get to all the things we neglected during the school year, such as cleaning our living spaces and seeing the dentist. Most of us go to work to gather funds for the upcoming school year. And if one is a graduate ambassador, one cannot forget about Columbia College Chicago completely during the summer months – there are blogs to write and emails from potential students to answer.

As I do during the school year, I work full time. Many potential students have asked me if it is possible to work while going to graduate school. I am (semi)living proof that, yes, it is possible. I would not say it is advisable though. But even with my job filling up much of my summer, these days are glorious.

This week, I took some time off from work and am in the midst of what is now called a “staycation.” In the mornings, I’ve been sleeping until I naturally wake up. I’ve cleaned my house thoroughly, and went to my doctor for a check-up. Wednesday, I went to the Morton Arboretum in southwest suburban Lisle. The Morton Arboretum is a 1,700-acre tree sanctuary where one can get lost in the woods much as Thoreau did in the mid-1800’s.

A Colossal Oak Tree

Several hundred yards off the path, I found a giant oak tree. I put my blanket on the ground and laid out my things: a water bottle, a journal, and some fruit. I took off my shoes and socks and stretched out beneath the shade of the tree, closed my eyes, and listened to the birds sing and the squirrels frolic. I spent five hours there, relaxing and journaling.

Such are the types of activities summer break affords. Moments of contentment that, despite all there is to do for school and all the strife there is in the world, allow for relaxation and rest. If one has enough of these moments, one can also recalibrate — correct one’s self — so that, when school starts again, one arrives there with fresh perspectives and, just maybe, a nice tan.