Hello Summer! I have been greatly anticipating your arrival. I love your hot, sensual hug and how you amplify the smells of beach, meadow and forest. You make my senses dizzy and my heart happy.
This year I celebrated your return by a cool clear lake. I lounged in your warm embrace while watching my children splash and play. The sun, water and laughter had me thinking about all the things I wanted to do with you. “I’m going to make a list of all the fun we can have together”, I thought wistfully, “yes, a family summer bucket list that’s exactly what I need!”. I started a mental list of our must-dos: go chasing waterfalls, float down the river, hike through a canyon, make six different types of homemade ice cream… mmmm…
That night I tucked my sun-kissed children into bed and watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon. My summer bucket list crawled around my mind, like a bothersome bug. I started to feel stressed about my list. Getting it right. Getting it done. Checking off the items. At the moment my eyes widened and I turned to my husband who was lounging beside me. “I’m not making a summer bucket list!”, I told him with a great sense of release. He smiled, likely anticipating, or at least hoping, I’d come to this conclusion.
I don’t need to measure the success of our family’s summer by the number of things we check off a list. I don’t need to feel pressured to go here or there, desperately trying to capture every Insta-worthy image to prove that we did summer the “right” way. Every summer is unique. Some summers are filled with camping adventures and others are enjoyed in our little town with family and friends.
This summer I’m letting go of my expectations of what summer should look like for our family, and I invite you to do the same. Live summer, embrace summer, however that may look for your family, and remember that the best summer memories are often made with dirty feet, sun-kissed cheeks, sticky floors, mud pies and yes, drippy ice cream (however it’s made).
Happy Summer!
