Find Joy in a Simpler Summer

 

You’ve probably spent the last few months cooped up in your house, organizing your shoes, deep-cleaning your kitchen, and reading every novel on your bookshelf (or watching every episode of Ozark). You’ve done all the “indoor stuff” you could muster, so it’s now time to pour yourself a chilled glass of rosé, and summer

While it’s true, this summer will look different than usual — and it’s totally OK to feel down over canceled plans and vacations lost — there still are plenty of ways to find joy and have a good time this season.

Now that summer is officially around the corner, we urge you to challenge yourself to have some out-of-the-box summer fun. Here are six things to do by August 31:

1.  Get to know the starry sky. How many times do you look up at the sky at night but not really know if you’re looking at the Big Dipper, Small Dipper, Orion’s Belt or whether that bright light is a planet or actually a star? Get to know the night sky this summer (you can use an app like Star Walk 2 or SkyView Lite for help!) and be able to finally recognize what you’re looking at.

2.  Get in touch with your inner artist. Make this summer the time you try rock painting. Find instructions here, buy some paint (or dig up some in your basement), locate some rocks, and get started! We love how you can turn a rock into a ladybug or paint a background color with a simple positive word – like ease, joy, patience, balance, abundance, or love.

(You can also buy a rock painting kit like this one that we happen to be big fans of.)

3.  Get social (while socially distancing). Plan a socially distant block party with your neighbors. Text your neighbors — or even post a sign on your street — saying that you’ll be sitting out on your driveway at a certain time (with a glass of wine in hand), and invite them to bring a lawn chair and join.

4.  Get wet. Water is healing, but also fun, so channel your inner child and say hello to water balloons, a slip n’ slide, or have a squirt gun fight with your kids, neighbors or significant other.

5.  Get moving. Whether it’s a stroll by the beach or at your local park, take daily walks in the fresh air to clear your head or catch up with a friend. If you like running, sign up for a virtual race. Many half marathons, 5ks, and 10ks that would be happening in-person are going remote. Training will give you some extra motivation to get out of the house!

6.  Get picnicking. You probably can’t make it to Napa this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put together a Napa-style picnic, complete with a few good bottles of Northern California’s finest and the best cheese you can find at your local grocery store.

Pour a glass, take a nibble of cheese, relax and enjoy! 

While we know this won’t be the summer you had planned, with the right open-mindedness and acceptance of change, it could be a memorable one that may pleasantly surprise you.

Heck, maybe you’ll even start some new summer traditions?

Here’s to soaking up the sun, and enjoying some vitamin D-filled days!

XO,
Savvy Team

 

Quote du jour

“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

 

Read More Feel-Good Notes Like This:

Could You Use More Patience?

It’s Time To Check In … With Yourself

Finding Peace During Uncertainty

Why Gratitude Matters Now (More Than Ever)

 

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