One of my friends sent me a text recently saying she was thinking of me, and we got into a conversation about what we were doing this summer. I reminded her that for me, now that I’m not in school and since I don’t have children who are out on break, summer is not necessarily all that different from the rest of the year, at least schedule-wise. She asked if that made me sad, and I said no, which is true. It was a little strange the first summer out of college, but I’ve gotten used to it. But for whatever reason, even though nothing tangible changes for me, the summer still feels a little different.
It’s about 90% more humid, for one thing.
Just kidding.
I think it has to do with the pace of life, and my expectations of things. It seems like every week someone else is out of the office on vacation. I also simultaneously want to be outside all the time and never, if that makes any sense. I feel more inclined to make fun plans, and take little trips, even though I could take vacation from work just as easily any other time of the year. The longer days make me feel a little lazier, a little less pressured to get things done immediately when I get home from work. I love being able to walk to more things I do in the evening without having to worry that I’ll be trudging home alone in the dark.
And so when I read a recent post from Laura Vanderkam outlining her summer happiness list, it resonated with me.
In no particular order, here are the things that are making me happy right now:
- Going to the pool: in the summer, my idol on the weekends is taking a book or magazine down to the pool and lounging. I actually do this FAR less often than I talk about doing this, but it is my Golden Calf of what a summer weekend should be.
- And on that note, beach reads. I have absolutely no shame. I love them, even if I'm reading them on my couch instead of on the sand. And for some reason I feel more freedom to indulge in them when the sun is blazing.
- Bright polish on my toes and my leather Chaco flip flops.
- Seasonal beers (New Belgium Rolle Bolle!) and fruity cocktails
- Tan lines. I know, I know, too much sun is bad for you. I wear sunscreen, I promise. But I still just can't help feeling a little bit prettier when I've got a little golden glow going on. Which leads us back to number one on the list...
What’s making you happy this summer?
