[This is the second part of a two part summer blog series. You can read Part One Here.]
It’s hot out, things are busy and traveling is fun but seems like it got expensiver (I know not a word but that is how it feels) How does that happen? Shut everything down then raise the prices when you open up. Not cool.
I hope this summer has been a great time of refreshment and relief for you, but even if it hasn’t yet, it still can be.
Without much more ado here are 4 ways to win the rest of the summer.
1) Insist on Including – Don’t settle for only spending time alone. I realize some are more introverted and actually recharge best by themselves but the reason you recharge is so you can re-engage.
Spend time with people you care about.
Go the movies (check out the upcoming Mt Ridge Drive-in Indoor Movie Night),
play some games, jump in the pool, go camping or take a quick weekend trip somewhere cooler, but make sure you go with family or friends.
Living in isolation showed us we all NEED other people for mental and spiritual health and for the simple things. It is more fun when there is more than one!
2) Do what you were going to do that you still haven’t done – Are you a list maker? Like a
bucket list; a list of things you want to learn, experiences you want to have, places you want to go. Well...go, learn, do!
You’re smart. Figure out how to make it happen. All those things will remain as good ideas until you put some action to it.
My wife and I have a list of life goals. Most of them are experiences more than achievements, but they are things that are important to us. Some goals are financial, some are travel, some are family and some are spiritual. Every year we sit down and decide what are the things we can do this year, what do we want to do in the next 2-3 years and what are the still out there someday things.
Ever since we started this we have enjoyed checking off 3-4 big things every year. We are living more life because of it.
Summer is the perfect time to do what you were going to do but still haven’t done!
3) Figure out the fall – I will admit this is a little more of the type-A planner style. But here is what I know. The fall will follow the summer. Things will happen in the fall.
Do you want the fall to happen to you, or do you have some expectations about how the fall should go? What are you expecting for travel, for work, for your family? These are great conversations to have now so you can have the fall you want instead of the fall you have.
Where does your spiritual life fit here? (hint it should be a priority)
What about your health?
How are you going to manage your/your family calendar (keep filling it up and let it boss you around or take charge?).
When you are on that trip up north to cool off (see number 1) use some of the drive time to talk about what the next season will bring.
4) Go to Dairy Queen – or Sonic your choice. Every year the night before school started Donna and I took our girls to Dairy Queen and let them get whatever they wanted. We sat as a family and laughed, talked about whatever the girls wanted to talk about with the upcoming school year and enjoyed the last night of freedom.
Oddly enough they still talk about getting ice cream even though one is out of college and the other is half way through college. We will probably go to Dairy Queen again this year before she goes back!
It is/was our family summer tradition.
Find your summer family tradition. Pick something your family can do for the next few summers. It will help make memories, create important moments and connect your family. Plus the ice cream isn’t too bad either!
Win the summer!
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