I don’t know about you, but right after spring break we start counting down the days until summer. While you still may be all sorts of busy, summer busy just hits different. Without the frantic rush to find homework, rush from class to practice, and get dinner on the table, we can finally decompress. The rhythm shifts, and where you were gasping for air before, now you find you can inhale deeply. Whether you have a European cruise on the books or are opting for a staycation in your hometown, having things to look forward to can be a big boredom buster. Plus, it’s always fun to get to the end of a season, proud of what you have accomplished. Time to celebrate! Hey—you survived!
You don’t need to be overly ambitious. No one could possibly read all of Shakespeare in one summer or cook every recipe in the classic Joy of Cooking, but choosing (and completing) a few smaller goals still brings joy and happiness. It’s double the fun if you can choose to do things you’ve never done before. That’s how we codify the memories in our brain. After all, no one wants to get to the end of summer saying, “I don’t even remember what I did!”
A blogger I follow likes to create an annual Summer Fun List. I love that idea. The summer is short. Where we live there’s just eight short weeks before school starts again, so it can be tough to pack in all the things we want to do. While Christmas seems to be more and more about the things we get, summer is the perfect time to enjoy the experiences we say we’ve been craving all along.
Because my kids are growing up and no longer need me to be their personal summer camp director or even drive them from place to place, this list is all mine. (But I won’t stop them from joining in on the fun, if they so choose.)
Here are some things we are planning to do. What’s on your list?
1) Learn how to make a proper loaf of sourdough.
You know how everyone got on a sourdough making kick during the pandemic? Well, I didn’t then, but my friend, Ginny, has been perfecting hers for months. She swears it’s easy, and even though I’ve failed multiple times, she has vowed to teach me the technique. I think I’m going over to her house for tutorial this week. Worst case—I stick to what I know—beer bread and cinnamon rolls.
Ginny made this loaf for my birthday. Look closely and you can see the “A” monogram she carved into the dough. My family tore that loaf up!
2) Enjoy more sound baths.
I don’t know why I love these so much. Sound baths truly are kind of weird, but I find them both relaxing and energizing. Imagine how you feel when you stare at the ocean. It’s like that, but instead of using your eyes, your ears are audience for this show. The world is big and you are small, and your mind is wide open. That’s how I feel when my eyes are closed and I’m listening to a sound bath. My oldest daughter and I have one scheduled for this Sunday!
3) Host a dinner party.
We love to host guests in our home, but during the school year, it can be hard. Between sports and meetings, it’s hard to find a date that works for everyone. I may be aiming high here, but surely we can make this happen. Plus, I have some fun new mocktail recipes I want to try out.
4) Make homemade ice cream.
No explanation necessary. What is summer without homemade ice cream?
5) Read a few short story collections. (Maybe write a short story of my own!)
In high school, I loved Southern writer Eudora Welty and tortured genius Sylvia Plath. I’m not sure if I want to revisit these or explore someone new, although I did hear that BJ Novak (from The Office) has a new collection. We’ll see. I found the sample I read online to be a little off-putting, but I loved his first children’s book!
6) Learn a TikTok Dance.
My daughter and I started working on the Beyonce Texas Hold Em’ line dance. The dance looks easy when I watch other people do it. Turns out—this fancy foot combo is either more complicated than it looks or else I’m pretty uncoordinated. Probably the latter.
7) Teach the cats a trick (or two).
Everyone talks about dogs doing tricks, but did you know that cats can do tricks too? I’ll start with a couple of easy ones, maybe “shake” and “roll over.” Our cats are highly motivated by treats and catnip.
Don’t they look like they’re ready for anything?
8) Ride my bike.
I really only do this when I’m at the beach, but every year we try to ride a little farther than the year before. Last summer, I think Gavin and I did 32 miles in one day. Riding a bike really is the best way to see a new place. You can cover a lot of ground, and you’re not going so fast that you miss all the good stuff. I feel like a total tourist with my little basket hanging off the front, but who cares? I AM a tourist!
9) Spruce up the front porch.
We live in the city and don’t have a front yard. Our front steps meet the sidewalk, so the porch is my only hope for serious curb appeal. I’ve been wanting to grow herbs out there. So far, I’ve only had luck with rosemary. A girl can dream….
10) Do something I’ve never done before.
I don’t know yet what this will be. I turned 50 this year. It’s one of those milestone birthdays when people expect you to run a marathon or climb Mount Everest. I won’t be doing either of those things, but I’m open to other ideas. I want to be ambitious and brave. I’m trying. Send all (good) ideas my way.
Summer is for Memories
Summer is an opportunity to be a kid all over again. Sure, there’s still important work to do, and I’m not suggesting anybody eschew responsibility in favor of fun, but I am suggesting that summer’s rhythms invite all of us to harken back to a simpler time, a time when curiosity reigned. I recently read a book called The Art of Making Memories, and I loved this advice: “When choosing what to do, take into account what you are most likely to remember in ten years.”
“When choosing what to do, take into account what you are most likely to remember in ten years.”
My wish for you is a summer doing the things you love with the people you love. May this be a summer to remember!