Better Late Than Never: The 2020 Summer Fun List
July 13, 2020 |
| Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash |
I’ve had a hard time coming up with a Summer Fun List this
summer. Nothing much seems like fun, to be honest. It’s doubtful that the
places that I would normally seek out for fun this summer will be open, and if
they are, I may not feel comfortable visiting them. I won’t be traveling to
California to see my mom(s), I won’t be seeing any museum exhibitions or going
to any baseball games, and I probably won’t even be wandering the aisles of my
local library.
[insert crying emoji]
But summer isn’t cancelled, and neither is fun. Without
being too ambitious, I want my remembering self to have something to look back
on from this summer, aside from avoiding people and wearing a mask.
When trying to come up with simple pleasures and everyday
adventures to add to my summer fun list, I thought about what types of things
would be fun without being too much like chores. I want my fun list to
include:
- Something to look forward to
- Time to spend doing activities I love
- Connecting with people I love
- Doing something new or going someplace new—exploring
- Eating and/or drinking something seasonal and delicious
- Enjoying nostalgia
- Learning something
Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- Rewatch some favorite movies, starting with Romancing the Stone
- Dust off our ice cream maker and make homemade ice cream
- Institute an occasional aperitif ritual with my husband
- Return to my sketchbook from France, and do more sketching and art journaling
- Plan a staycation
- Watch the sunset on the beach
- Read from my summer reading list, heavy on books from my own shelves
- Take part in a travel photo challenge on Facebook (almost complete)
- Reconnect with friends and family via phone calls, emails, letters
Note: While many people rejoice in the chance to go outside during
the summer months, the weather where I live is oppressively hot, humid, and
unpleasant, so my list has very few outdoor activities on it. If you live in a
kinder climate, Ingrid Fetell Lee’s “How to Find Joy in an Unconventional Summer” contains a multitude of outdoorsy summer fun ideas.
And that’s about all I can think of. And since summer is a
typically low energy time for me (and it’s already mid-July!), I’m going to
call that good for now.
What about you? Do you have any fun plans this summer? Do share in the comments!
4 comments
Kathy your list holds wonderful things to do. For years I have enjoyed a staycation. Sitting on the deck reading and painting is one of the best vacations for me. Thought maybe your library was open. That is one of the things I missed in this year. Hopefully you can pick up books curbside. Take care and stay safe friend. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteDebbie--I'm still missing wandering the stacks in my library, but at least they're offering curbside pickup. We've done a couple of staycations and enjoyed them, as long as my husband doesn't try to do too many home projects! We are very lucky to live in a beautiful place, even if we never leave our neighborhood.
DeleteHope you're having a lovely summer!
I will think about this...right now I am a little stuck and wanting to do things I can't do, like travel. There is a lot I do at home, but I think an official staycation might be in order...somehow to take a short break from some routines that are feeling draggy, even though, they are routines I enjoy...That may have not made sense, but thank you for this post...
ReplyDeleteRita--same here! I really want and need to visit my mom in California, but I don't feel it's prudent to do so right now, especially since my mom has health issues. Maybe I need to write a round-up post of ways to enjoy a staycation, or even just how to change up routines since most of us are staying close to home. Feel free to send me your ideas!
Delete