Here is to the Best Summer Ever
As the days are getting hot and humid, my mind shifts to what summer has in store for us. Summer is a season innately linked to freedom and adventure. This summer may look different from any summer before with cancelled festivals and large crowd-drawing events on hold. Yet, I have faith that us southerners will find a way to squeeze the most out of the season. I live in the land of the Watermelon Festival. So even though it’s cancelled, I already have my watermelon décor displayed and my watermelon wear is ready to be donned. I just wish we had a special edition quarantine watermelon festival t-shirt to top it off! (Hint hint to the powers that be.)
At its start, summer feels boundless. This season is our open door, our unwritten story. Simplicity is often a great framework for the best days. So, simply put how do you want to celebrate the season? If you gave your summer a theme what would you want it to be? What would a summer well spent feel like? In place of a list of things to do, consider what you do not want to miss or forget. Do things that matter. Things that will outlast summer’s end. “It would not be summer without… This summer I want to try…” We may not know if schools will open in the fall. We may not know if college football is awaiting us but when fall rolls around, we can look back on summer knowing we filled it with good times and great moments.
Find your own way into what gives you a sense of fun and adventure. Grill dinner over a campfire. Invent new games to play with your children. Learn something you have never done before. Build a tree house or string up a hammock. Watch the sunrise. Watch the sunset. Go barefoot. I invite you to blow bubbles. Nobody who blows bubbles can be sad. It is impossible. Have a water balloon war. Do cannon balls into the pool. Eat watermelon. You can even spit the seeds if you want. It is your summer. It is your business.
Here are two super simple watermelon recipes to get your summer started:
- Watermelon Yogurt Pops – 3 cups cubed watermelon, ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (or vanilla), ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.
- Watermelon Ice – Cut watermelon into cubes and freeze. Fill glass with watermelon ice and pour your favorite beverage over it. Lemonade is especially good!
Festivals give us an opportunity to make new friends and reconnect with old friends. We celebrate, laugh, dance, and eat together. So, this summer, without our festivals, we must be intentional in finding ways to create those community moments safely. Summer is calling you out! Step into this season with experiences that make you feel alive. From adventures to exploring to playing, this season has so much to give.
We turned our back porch into an amazing hang out with lighting that’s inexpensive and easy to install. Our project of 120 feet of strand lights cost us under $50. Plus we share the figuring on our spacing. Happy Summer!