Writer Wednesday - Don’t Let the Summer Days Pass You By!

Kelli's Quill 

with Kelli A. Wilkins 

Don’t Let the Summer Days Pass You By! 

Ah, summer. The long, hot days seem like they’ll last forever. But all too often I find myself looking at the calendar and asking: What happened to summer? Where did the time go? 

It usually starts like this: “Wow! I can’t believe it’s finally Memorial Day Weekend. Hooray for the beginning of the summer season. I’m going to enjoy every minute of it this year.” 

Then: “How is July Fourth next week? Wasn’t it just Memorial Day? There’s so much I still want to do…” 

And then: “Labor Day? Back to school? Wait, what? Where did the summer go?”

Yup. Every year, summer flies by in the blink of an eye.

I’m writing this article the week before Memorial Day. Stores are geared up for summer, advertising beach towels, bathing suits, sandals, and everything red, white and blue for the holiday. People are planning vacations, day trips, and barbeques. Everyone is looking forward to the long summer that lies ahead.

However, by the time you read this, it will be July—the halfway point of summer. You may be wondering how July got here so fast, and thinking that summer is passing you by. But don’t worry, there’s still time to make the most of the sunny days ahead.

If you’re like a lot of people, you want to have a fun and fabulous summer, filled with great memories. You may even have a summer “bucket list” of things to do, like take a vacation, visit friends, hit the beach, lake, or pool… So what’s stopping you? Sometimes it’s yourself!

People can get caught up in routines and don’t make time for new experiences. Summer is the perfect time to change your patterns and actively seek out things to do with friends and family. How can you make more time for fun? Here are a few suggestions.

* Socially distance yourself from social media. I’m not saying turn off all social media for the summer (unless you want to). But if you find yourself on the hamster wheel of constantly posting, commenting, sharing… Take a break.

Don’t get me wrong, technology is great—in limits. But spending every waking hour on your phone or tablet is a huge time suck. If you’re staring at a screen all day or evening, you’re wasting valuable time.

Do an update across all your social media telling friends and followers you’re taking a summer vacation from posting. You’re on hiatus the same way TV shows are during the summer.

Let your friends know you’ll be posting infrequently, when you have something really important to share, or randomly checking in once or twice a week. This limits your time spent online and you won’t get pulled into reading everyone else’s posts and watching Maine Coon cat videos. 

Your free time can now be focused on other things. Maybe you’ll use your previous social media time to go to a concert with your husband or best friend, take a walk around the neighborhood, or garden.

* Leave your phone alone. Cell phones are just mini-computers and they can be a big drain on your time. Texting, playing games, scrolling through sites, and streaming is all perfectly fine. But if your head is always bent down over your phone, you’re missing out on what’s happening around you in the real world. (Have you ever seen someone with their eyes glued to their phone walk out in front of traffic? Yikes!) 

As much as you can, leave your phone off or put it on silent mode. Turn off alerts for new texts, social media posts, etc. Tell friends and family you’re blocking out time each day as a no phone zone. Don’t text, check messages, or play games for a few hours each day.

Remember the days before cell phones? People weren’t always instantly available, and when someone called, they left a message. Try going “old school” during the evenings or weekend mornings, then engage in an activity that’s hard to do with a phone in your hand, such as riding a horse, swimming, or playing tennis. Why not call a friend ahead of time and ask them to join you?

* Get off the couch and go somewhere. Yes, summer is a time for relaxing and taking it easy, but you can lounge on the couch and binge-watch your favorite show year-round. Don’t waste a beautiful summer day indoors. Your show (or 500th rerun of Law & Order) will still be there in the cold days of January.

Turn off the TV and take a day trip to a local park or historical site. Visit friends or family for a barbeque, or go to a zoo or an amusement park. Find a fireworks display.

Most people still have to work in the summer (unless you’re employed by a school or are retired) so how do you incorporate summer fun after work? Here are a few ideas:

• Do outdoor hobbies until it gets dark: Ride your bike or walk around your neighborhood or local park, garden, go fishing, or play sports.

• Find a free outdoor concert or play (most start around 7 or 7:30pm). Or make your own concert: sit in the backyard with food or drinks and listen to your favorite music.

• Fire up the grill and cook dinner outside, or pack a picnic dinner and take it to a park, the beach, or a lake. Or, visit a restaurant you’ve never been to before and eat dinner outside.

Right now you might be asking: “But what if the temperatures are soaring and it’s horribly humid? Who wants to visit a zoo if it’s really hot out?” I understand. Nobody wants to be outside when it’s so hot you’ll catch fire.

On a sweltering day (or when it’s raining), it’s perfectly fine to hide in the house, catching up on chores, scrolling social media, or watching a few episodes of a show. But see if you can use your imagination to make the day different. Watch a movie you’ve heard about but have never seen, or try a few episodes of a show a friend recommended.

You can turn off the TV and try your hand at a new indoor hobby, like painting or doing puzzles. Visit the library and check out books to read in the air conditioning, take an in-person class or workshop, experiment with a new dinner recipe, or learn how to make ice cream. 

No matter what you do, the less time spent in front of a screen (whether it’s a computer, tablet, or phone) the more time you’ll have to enjoy yourself this summer. Do what you can to change your routines. Be active. Try new things. Treasure each day, evening, and weekend. Summer will be gone before we know it, so enjoy the season!

© 2023 Kelli A. Wilkins All Rights Reserved
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror stories. Visit her website/blog for a full title list and social media links. www.KelliWilkins.com