Today was the first day of the year that the thermometer hit the low 90's, so even if the calendar doesn't say it's official (and with three more school days to boot), I'm calling it: It's summertime!
Summertime, at its essence, should be an easy-lazy-breezy time to take things lighter and freer. But, is it just me, or did summers seem a whole lot less complicated when we were younger?
Before the internet, cell phones, and email kept us wired to the world 24/7...
Before BPA, PABA, and DEET frights...
Before kids' summer camp cost as much as college tuition...
I'm feeling downright nostalgic for my childhood summers! So, here are 20 effortless ways to simplify your summer and get back to the way it was meant to be:
- Make your own lemonade with just lemons, sugar, water, and ice cubes.
- Read a real paperback book at the beach (not an e-book). Check it out from the library or buy a few selections from a second-hand bookshop.
- Thou Shalt Not Text at the Beach.
- No sending emails or checking headlines from the beach blanket, either.
- No chit-chatting on the cell phone when you could be chillaxing outdoors. Save your phone for emergencies and let the calls go to voicemail. Just close your eyes and listen to the surf and the seagulls.
- Make your own iced tea or sun tea from regular tea bags. Add a few sprigs of mint.
- Re-read a few books that you enjoyed during your childhood summers. I'm going to re-read The Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh, which I remember reading when I was ten years old, in a hammock, in my backyard.
- Make your own popsicles. Fill an ice cube tray with fruit juice and a few berries, cover it with waxed paper, and poke a toothpick through the center of each square. Freeze for a couple of hours, remove the wax paper, and pop out the pops!
- Stop fretting, just for today, about the state of your thighs. Put on a sarong or tie a towel around your hips and "fugettaboudit!"
- Don't blow-dry your hair. Just slick it back with some hair creme (Kiehl's Silk Groom is top-notch, but you could use any leave-in conditioner) and put on a big, floppy hat.
- Put on a baseball cap instead of makeup. The brims are great for hiding undereye circles. Complete the incognito look with big sunglasses.
- Bring some old kitchen utensils and Tupperware you don't care about to the beach and let the kids play "outdoor restaurant" in the sand.
- Build a sandcastle that is The Mother of All Sandcastles.
- Have a slimy seaweed fight with a friend.
- Collect shells and identify them later with a shell book. (Again, from the library.)
- Take a long stroll looking for hidden treasures. Pick up some trash along the way.
- Bring a cooler to the beach, but buy ice cream cones on the way home.
- Re-read your old diaries from summers long-gone. Marvel at how kooky you were as a kid.
- Finally learn how to skip rocks. (Hold a flat rock between your index finger and thumb, parallel to the water, and flick it!)
- Take a guilt-free nap. Under a big, shady tree. In the cool grass.
Wishing you a sweet and simple summer!
Your turn: How do you simplify your summer routine? Let's hear it in the comments section below!
***********************************************************************************************************************
Make this summer the one that you learn how to take "insanely gorgeous photographs"* of your vacation and beyond! (*That's a quote from my friend and former photography student, Dale Rogerson at A Delectable Life.)
Just three more weeks to register for my July 2014 photography e-course, "How to Take Better Photos of Nature and the World Around You." Click here for details!
- All digital cameras welcome (any type, including smart phones).
- Even if you have a full-time job, you'll be able to take this online class at your own pace.
- Less than $10 per lesson--treat yourself today!
*********************************************************************************************************************
© 2014 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
Comments