Summer Bucket List
Man, this has not been the summer I expected but that doesn't mean you can't find fun so I tried to complete my bucket list to the best of my ability in these unique times!
Make a list of summer goals.
How do you make a list of goals when you are in quarantine? Here’s reality:
Go outside.
Eat in a restaurant.
Fill up my gas tank more than once a month.
Go to TJ Maxx.
Fit into my teacher clothes before school starts back.
Make homemade lemonade/Go on a picnic/Make a summer playlist
What is it about picnicking that is so fun? The Edwardians turned eating out doors into a fun field afternoon adventure and we’ve never looked back. Though I wouldn’t mind if there was air conditioning.
There are songs that just sound like summer. You can just see yourself crusin’ around town with your hair blowing in the breeze. You can’t help but feel carefree! My list is miles long but has to include the following:
Vacation by The Go-Go’s
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel
Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams
Centerfold by J. Geils Band
Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News
I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson
Kokomo by The Beach Boys
I Was Born by Hanson
Give a Little by Hanson
Unplug for the day
Why is it so hard to put our phones down? I spend half my “phone time” mindlessly scrolling not truly processing anything I see and yet I can’t help but have it there in my hands. As a child I would spend a Saturday afternoon re-watching a favorite movie while drawing or doing a word search or some other activity that kept my hands busy but now I allow my phone to feel those antsy fingers which is simply not as beneficial!
I spent the day reading and only checked my phone to answer messages so no one was worried. I’m embarrassed that it took more effort than I thought.
Dress up and feel pretty.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to tackle this challenge being that there is nowhere to go looking pretty. The most dressed up I usually get is for church or an event but since everything has been virtual it seemed a bit silly to wear a dress and heels to sit on the couch and listen to the sermon. However, a moment/idea came up recently that would allow me to dress up while hopefully feeling pretty all while tackling an interesting little personal growth project. I’m going to do a bit of a post about this later but let’s just say that I have some amazing and encouraging friends!
Enjoy the sunrise and sunset/Take a midday nap/Go star gazing
I get to enjoy the sunset all the time because the sun sets very late in south Mississippi. The sunrise on the other hand is a bit more difficult but I forced myself to get up and at least lay on the couch with coffee to “enjoy” the sun coming up. I’m just not a morning person. Now, the midday nap is a whole different story. I’ve been partaking of a midday nap more than necessary since the quarantine began. I’ve reached the age where if I sit down for more than about five minutes I’ll fall asleep so I’ve just been going with that several times a week.
Try yoga.
OH MY WORD! I’m already not a yoga type of person because sitting still in the quiet and just “being” is pretty difficult for me but adding crazy contortionist skills to the mix definitely didn’t endear me to this art form. Silly experiences are better with friends so I made Megan undertake this with me and I swear she was cursing me about five minutes in. We selected one of the most popular beginner yogas from YouTube hoping it would be a great introduction but geez I was bored. Apparently, I can’t quiet my mind enough to be successful. I’m used to doing planks while verbally complaining not trying to do them in a Zen like state. I get why it works for some people but those people aren’t me… and don’t get me started on hot yoga…
