Summers felt endless at eight and fly by at twenty. Spend them on people, not just plans.

Time feels long when it is full of things you have not done before. At eight almost everything is new, so a week registers as enormous; by twenty most of it is familiar, and familiar time compresses. The way to make a stretch feel long again is novelty, and the most reliable novelty is other people.

When you plan the next break, put names in it before activities. One long day with your cousins, one trip with friends who will be scattered next year. Plans without people in them tend to be the ones you cannot remember afterwards.