Maximize your Summer No Matter What your Age
Summer is a great time to reframe your life, schedule some breaks, engage in some new adventures, and rekindle the time of year that everyone looked forward to as a kid. I don’t know about you, but as I contemplated sharing some thoughts to make your summer better, it occurred to me that as an “older adult” these days, summer didn’t really have a special place in my heart anymore. Not like when I was much younger, or when my children were still at home. But as I was doing some research, my interest was piqued, and I realized that with some planning and intentionality, I too, could look forward to experiencing the wonder of summer again! Here are some great tips from a blog post on Oxford Royale Academy. I will just highlight portions of the list. If you would like more details, see link at the end of the article.
- Learn something completely new
One way to make a summer truly memorable is to make it the summer that you finally learned how to do something you’ve always wanted to try. You can find every subject under-the-sun at the library or on the internet. The internet is a great source for people sharing things they love, and there are many instructional videos and free tutorials. - Make new friends
While having old friends is a good position to be in, sharing your summer experiences with new friends will make them even more special. - Go somewhere you’ve never been before
This can mean traveling to a distant place, or how about exploring closer cities/areas that you usually ignore. There are gems in every city. - Spend each day differently or have a routine to add variety each week
It’s easy for summer to get boring quickly, if you are always doing same things. Brainstorm some ideas that would really make the summer fun and follow through doing them. - Challenge yourself
You can have a fun summer only doing things that you already know you’re good at and will enjoy, but challenging yourself to learn and do some new things will make it great! - Sign up to something bigger than yourself
Look for some planned activities going on in your community this summer and join in. (organized trip, volunteering at a service project, etc.) Ask a friend to do it with you and put it on your calendar to hold yourself accountable. - Keep a record of your adventures
There’s nothing like photos and journals to help you look back on a brilliant summer. - Hone non-academic skills
it’s good to use some time over the summer to reconnect with non-academic skills that you want to learn or enjoy. Learn how to entertain with more flair, budget and get more for your money, enhance your cooking skills, practice that instrument you used to play, bring out supplies to one of your hobbies and share it with others.
- Explore a subject you really love in more depth
You can find every subject under-the-sun at the library or on the internet. And there are many instructional videos and free tutorials. - Try out something you’ve never have considered before and discover a new passion. As we age, our tastes change. Perhaps you’d like to try something totally new. Again, the library and internet can be great sources of instruction, or make it more social by signing up for a class.
- Learn something really useful to your life right now
It might be first-aid/CPR, a babysitting class, how to repaint a room, get ebooks from library on your tablet (and save a lot of money), learn new skills for picture-taking, or how to be organized and simplify your life, etc. - Relax and have fun
Summer is the perfect time to spend more time outside enjoying nature and just chilling more. Don’t feel guilty, we all need downtime to refuel and refresh! I hope some of these ideas will inspire a more intentional plan for the summer months, providing several new opportunities that will have you reflecting upon the joy of summer once again.
Blessings,
Chris Mayer, BSN, Parish Nurse
Ideas taken from:
https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/20-ways-unforgettable-summer/
