Craig Daily Press

Craig — When you least expect it, there it is. When that is the last thing you need, there it is. When you don’t want it, there it is. When you expect the least and receive the most, there it is.

So, where was it for me?

I went to a sports bar with a group of my closest girlfriends to watch game four of the NBA finals, and my intentions were simple. Watch the game from buzzer to buzzer, eat pizza and remember my basketball playing days.

These intentions were my expectations and I was completely satisfied. But, then I accidentally took the seat of a boy who had similar intentions and similar expectations as me.

There it was, a connection.

We tried to balance conversation, friends, the game, and pizza only to find that these distractions couldn’t hide our connection.

I’m not sure if it was the similarities between our cultures, old fashion dating etiquette, ability to do everything outside, our compatible sense of humor or all of the above.

I gave him my number and I waved good-bye telling him that I would never call him. As I pulled away I didn’t know if I would ever see him again, or if connection would last.

This uncertainty made me wonder.

I wondered if I would spend countless summer days on the beach with him. I wondered if I would have a personal surf instructor or a road trip partner. I wondered if I would have someone to roast my marshmallows without burning them.

I wondered if this connection would lead to a summer crush.

There is something about the summertime that makes meeting a boy much simpler. I’m not sure if it’s the weather, the barbecues, the sunsets, or the weddings, but summer provides the perfect opportunities for romance.

The carefree attitude of summertime lets you live for today. This carefree attitude keeps you there in that moment with that person. You do not speak of the future because you know the future is a different season, a different season that might not include that person.

And there it is when you least expect it.

And for me, summer has provided the only relationships I have ever had. As much as I search for a fall, winter, or spring relationship, summertime always prevails for me in the relationship department.

But with this, I question if these summer romances can even be considered “relationships.”

To those who still are dating their high school sweethearts, the seriousness of my summer romances would be easily compared to a playground date they once had in fifth grade. But to me, these summer romances are something.

Maybe they haven’t ended up in serious relationships or commitments, but they have led to growth.

With each romance, I learn.

I have learned what I like. I have learned what I dislike. I have learned how to be with someone. I have learned how to be without someone.

I have learned that I am still learning.

I dread the days when summer comes to an end. When the days get shorter and the nights get longer. And my summer romance will have to come an end.

I think of the chorus from the song “For a little while” by Tim McGraw.

“She’s gone but she left me with a smile. Yeah she was mine for a little while.”

This is what I think of when I think of my summer romances.