Building The Perfect Summer

Let’s face it — we only get so many summers in our lifetime. And the older I get, the more precious they become. I see the days from May to September like beautiful beads on a necklace, each to be cherished. There’s nothing worse than getting to Labor Day, with a bunch of “should haves.” Therefore I put together a wish list for the “lazy, crazy days” coming up. Here it is in no particular order…

Going into Manhattan – Ah…. the streets of this city beckon. After the cold, harsh, never-ending Connecticut winter, I’m ready. With family and friends, plans are being made. My pal Lisa and I are seeing the revival of “My Fair Lady.” Another day we’re going to the Metropolitan Museum to view “Visitors to Versailles.” My mom, sister, and I want to take an afternoon and just stroll around, seeing whatever sights or bistros call to us. Heaven.

Visiting the Botanical Gardens – I’ve grown to love this amazing site in the Bronx. The air almost shimmers with the healing energy of so many flowers, shrubs, and trees. After this winter, it’s like getting a dose of Mother Nature on steroids. Peggy Rockefeller’s Rose Garden is especially jaw-dropping -–a huge, cultivated riot of every color, fragrance, and velvety petal imaginable. So good for the soul.

Volunteering at the local hospital – I know, strange. But my husband Randy spent several weeks there this past winter. Visiting him every day, I realized this world both terrorizes and fascinates me. I have undying respect for the medical community, and although I can’t draw blood or transplant a kidney, I can bring flowers and a smile to a patient in need. I’m feeling a tug these days to give back.

Road trip – Last year my mom and I took several excursions to Massachusetts – Kripala Yoga Retreat in the Berkshires and Emily Dickinson’s house in Amherst. Maybe we’ll head south this summer. There’s something freeing about getting behind the wheel and just going. But where to?  Not sure yet. Any suggestions?

Join a summer writer’s workshop — I’ve been blessed with wonderful writing friends – both online and in the flesh. But alas, people move away. They get busy. Life goes on. So I’m starting a new project (working on a memoir) and am ready to meet a new group of scribblers. What better time to start this journey than summer? Sometimes when fate won’t come to us, we have to give it a little nudge.

Saying “Yes” more – Being lazy and introverted, this can be hard for me. I’m always ready to escape the real world and curl up with a good book. But I’ve realized over time the best things happen when we say this word. That invitation out of the blue we weren’t going to take leads to a chance meeting or call that can change our lives. Saying “Yes” can open doors. Rarely do I regret it. This summer I plan to say, “Yes” often.

Doing Nothing… Outside — Daydream. Think. Walk on the beach. Hey, maybe those things aren’t doing nothing after all. Maybe by giving ourselves permission to just “be” we allow more intuitive, creative urgings to come through. There’s something about feeling the soft breeze, warm sand, and cool grass that allows our softer, more human side to emerge. And for New Englanders (*sniff*) that’s only attained in the summer months.

Maybe anticipation is the best part. By late August, many are ready for cooler days (myself included). But for now, June, July and August entice like a gypsy caravan rolling into town, promising color and fun.

Before we know it, we’ll hear the rumble of September school buses. Evening skies will get dark earlier. Life will get serious again.

But for now, summer days lay gloriously ahead.

And I want to appreciate each bead on that beautiful necklace.

 

 

What’s on your wish list? Comments are always welcome and if you like, please share. If you wish to receive posts by email, just press here. Thank you!