162 - The Summer Episode
Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!
Resources from this episode:
Show Notes:
Welcome to the summer episode where I'm doing something I've never done before—having a little fun with this episode and I'll be sharing everything that reminds me of summer, including some great recommendations. I'll cover places to go, feelings to feel, sites to see, books to read, music to listen to, things to wear, memories to make. I hope this episode makes you really happy.
This episode kicks off the next three episodes really focused on play—less work, more play. A little bit of a theme here around summertime and next week, I'm going to be sharing three photo project ideas for you to tackle this summer. The episode after that, I'll share 10 things saving my life right now and then I'm going to take July off of the podcast.
But if you're a part of the Patreon community, I did want to remind you that all of July I'm hosting a photo challenge where we're all going to choose one photo project, whether it's your physical photos, family yearbook, baby book, refreshing the frames in your home, whatever it is, and we're going to keep each other accountable and do it. That's all gonna take place inside my Patreon community.
Of course you can do it if you're not part of the Patreon community, you can do this anytime, but that is the place we are going to reserve for some accountability and cheerleading as we do it together. And I am providing a $30 off coupon for those of you who are in Patreon so that you can buy my Legacy Photo System through July 4th.
So if you've been part of Patreon or if you want to join this month, it's a great opportunity for you to get a discount on the Legacy Photo System. Yes, you have to pay a dollar to join Patreon, but then you get $30 off the Legacy Photo system. You can go to legacyphotosystem.com to check that out and see if you're interested in buying that.
It's my photo organization system that teaches you to organize your photos once and for all, and also have a game plan for them moving forward. Head to patreon.com/workandplay, and then you'll get access to that discount code and the community. I won't be here doing these public podcasts the month of July, I'll do a couple of private things in my Patreon community. That's it in the month of July and then I'll be back in August.
Without further ado—the summer episode.
Places to go
The greenway for walks, the woods for hiking, the beach, the lake, playgrounds early in the morning, the pool in the afternoon, the library on hot days, to family's houses, to a different state, to a national park or a normal park, to a museum, to a restaurant with outdoor seating or even better rooftop seating.
Feelings to feel
The sun baking your skin, jumping in a cold pool after getting really sweaty, floating on a float in the sunshine with a drink in your hand, napping in a new spot—just letting yourself drift off wherever you get sleepy, swinging in a hammock and booking a massage for yourself.
Sights to see
Planning time to wake up to see the sunrise or staying out a little longer to see the sunset, letting your eyes take in the ocean, the animals at the zoo, seeing a new movie, curling up in a blanket and looking at the stars in the sky, my friends faces, comedy shows, fresh peonies on my table, my kids' faces as I let them buy something with their own money in the store.
Books to read
The Great Blue Hills of God—oh my goodness, I cried so much at the end of that. The Nightingale also cried so much at the end of that, i you haven't read either of those highly recommend. Where The Crawdads Sing, the movie comes out this July by the way, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Music to listen to
My patriotic playlist is a must listen every July 4th, Dave Matthews Band, Jason Raz, Coldplay, The Beach Boys. All of those remind me of summertime. For the kids some more fun lighthearted songs from Slugs and Bugs and Rafi.
Food to taste
Blueberry cobbler, homemade peach ice cream, watermelon, cheeseburgers and fries, salads with all the fixings, corn on the cob, fruit popsicles. By the way my sister said she declared this summer as the summer of popsicles and whenever one of her kids asks for one, she'll never say no. I'm totally adopting that as my own too.
Things to wear
The theme here for me is comfort. Slip on sandals that are comfortable, my favorite most comfortable bra every day, flattering bathing suits, shirt dresses, hats, head scarfs, these new running shorts from Walmart I just bought with biker shorts built-in, so comfy—my new daily uniform, lightweight workout shoes and the thing not to wear: makeup.
Memories to make
Setting out the baby pool with sprinklers and popsicles, building a fort, having a movie night with a pallet on the floor, maybe even going to the drive-in movies, reading through The Chronicles of Narnia as a family—I have been waiting so long for this. Camping in the backyard or at a real camp site, loading up on kid crafts from hobby lobby and helping them with it throughout the summer, having a big kid movie night with my oldest while the other littles go to sleep early, having a pool date with each kid individually, or a date date for that matter and taking them to dinner, trying something new—Will and I are going to be taking a couples pottery class that I am so very excited about.
Now the point of all of these activities and feelings and sounds and smells and sights is just to remind you to soak in summer. It’s to remind you to make space for playing this summer, for resting this summer, to get you excited about all there is to do, but also not to feel the pressure to do all of these maybe just choose one or two or three.
No matter what, I hope you remember the importance of playing, of making memories, of feeling the sunshine on your skin and to hug your loved ones a little closer. This is the good stuff of life and legacy friends.
As F. Scott Fitzgerald said in The Great Gatsby
“And so with the sunshine and with the great verses of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time.
