Reasons, Seasons, Lifetime
As we roll into August there are noticeably shorter days, cooler evenings, and thoughts of going back to the real-life routine when summer is over. One distinction that sets the summer apart beyond the weather is friendship; the ones formed and maintained this season.
If you spend your summer out east and return to your home elsewhere after Labor Day you likely have your ‘summer friends,’ friends you share your life with Memorial Day through Labor Day. Think camp friends for kids, sharing the relaxed routines, joy of sunny days, activities outdoors, and the break from the daily grind during the rest of the year. Having separate circles allows for new perspectives, shifting the rolls we play in our current friend groups, and going through the summer wrap up together, having those friends to look forward to seeing next summer.
Friends enter our lives for reasons, some that may not be obvious at the time. It may seem like a coincidence if you meet someone that happens to appear right when you needed them, often when that need is fulfilled or the problem is solved, they may not be in your circle anymore. Summer friends feel like seasons, when you are sharing unique experiences together, relatable only to you and those friends. Out east we are lucky to have an amazing summer season to build and foster these friendships, to have them return each year. These friendships share personal growth and have a natural end to the chunk of time we call summer. Often these seasons can turn into a lifetime, and these friends are in our lives for the long-term, providing lasting support and a stable friendship.
Summer out east is where people from all walks of life form friendships built for reasons, seasons or a lifetime. Being in Montauk as a foundation brings people together that share interests, values and easily form connections through activities. We also do not choose who finds their way to Montauk, so we cannot always gravitate to others just like us. Forming bonds feels organic, exposing us to friends we might not have met otherwise.
Coming back each summer like time has never passed is a feature of having a special place to return to, setting friendships up for a lifetime. Unlike work friends, childhood friends and community elsewhere, there is freedom from who we must be and more of a present version of ourselves. Most of all we are connecting in real-time and real life not through screens, where real friendships are formed in the first place.