I welcome summer and it’s raining.
collage by me. click through to see enlarged. materials: all pictures from oprah magazine, chalk, seahorse paper from an origami kit
People invent excuses such as: I’m not leaving my city/state/country like all my rich/awesome/pretty/sexy friends and therefore I deserve to be bored because my parents suck for not taking me anywhere.
That is so untrue. You don’t have to go anywhere! Summer is my me-time. It’s when I don’t focus on doing homework or studying or babysitting, it’s when I do what I want with my time. The best summer ever is always tailored to your preferences.
ONE become an autodidact
An autodidact is a self-teacher. It is a Do-It-Yourself project on you. Always wanted to play an instrument? Teach yourself to play guitar. Wanted to learn how to sew, knit, or garden? Now is the time. When school is in, it’s hard to take time to master these, but now you have all the time in the world! Take advantage of it.
TWO tackle leisure lists you didn’t have time for during the school year
My Netflix Instant Queue is bursting at the seams. My DVR has 15 episodes, the entire sixth season, of Psych recorded. The reading list on my phone won’t allow any more characters to be added and the unfinished manuscript by my bed is collecting dust. Lazy days are still productive in the summer, because you’re working your way through these daunting tasks in your jimjams with a tub of ice cream.
THREEmake time for your hobbies
I have a ridiculous amount of hobbies. During the school year, I rack up supplies of projects I was supposed to be doing, but never got around to because the unforgiving amount of homework and papers I have to write. When summer comes, I pull out everything from the box in my closet and get to work.
FOUR explore*
Get out of your house and interact with your city. Finding new places is the best. On Saturdays, I visit the Farmer’s Market and my favorite coffee shop. Sometimes I go to the museum.Or I go downtown on the Marta for festivals and fireworks, especially on the Fourth of July. Thrifting becomes a way of life in the summer and concerts are a must. This is a great guide to exploring your city.
FIVE take a class*
Maybe Autodidacticism didn’t work out for you. Or maybe it did and you still want more. Sign up for a class. Your local college or community center offers a ton. It’s some thing new. My friends and I want to sign up for belly dancing and yoga classes or art classes at SCAD.
*research: Unless you have some psychic intuition of knowing when and where things are going down, you’re going to need a good deal of information. Find out when your favorite hang out has live music or when classes are half off at the center. Don’t be afraid to talk to people (non-serial killer people, of course). I found out from a little research that the art museum is free every first Saturday of the month. Yay me!
make a list: Make a list of everything you want to do. It comes in handy when you’re in a I’m SOOOO Bored mood. It’ll be your go-to fun list. Update it frequently.
