Make the Most of Summer

We have one more month of summer. One more month to capture that summer feeling — feeling relaxed and laid back. One more month to get an ice cream cone and eat it outside. One more month to put a boat or an inner tube in the water and just float.

I live in the upper Midwest — summer is short. We have no time to waste.

Here is my plan to make the most of this last month of summer.

1. Decide my intention for August — I need to get quiet and think about what I want to accomplish, how I want to feel, and what I want to do. I want to write and share my writing. I want to connect with other writers. I want to connect with my husband, my friends, my kids. I want to enjoy the abundance of fresh vegetables that you can only buy at this time of year. I want to sit at the beach and read. That’s a lot so I probably need to decide what is the most important.

2. Get Out My Calendar — I need to plan to make most of this happen. I need to schedule my writing time. I can connect with my husband and friends while eating a dinner using those fabulous vegetables. And my husband also likes to sit at the beach and read. I can do that and connect with him. I’ll check the weather app and plan that outing.

3. Follow Through — It’s very easy at the end of the day to decide to turn on the TV and stream whatever show I happen to be watching. I’ll just watch one episode. Three episodes later it’s time for bed. None of that this August. That’s January/10 degrees below zero behavior! I will put my kayak in my Prius and paddle. I will go to the lake with a notebook and write.

I bought a new planner. I’m ready to plan, to do, and to just be.

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