Embracing Summer

It’s hard to believe that summer is already upon us.  In some ways (the culinary ones), I am delighted that summer has arrived.  Temperatures in the mid-90’s make me not so glad that summer has arrived.

It’s about this time of year that I begin to get twitchy, thinking about how much worse the heat is going to get.  Heat that makes me want to leave the state.  Forever.  I haven’t been shy about my love of upstate New York.  And how, when I am there, I feel like I belong there.  But I’ve just recently come to terms with the fact that my little town in Florida is a pretty amazing place.  Filled with lots of interesting places, incredible beaches, and the people I love.  In the immortal words of Colette, “What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”

Colette, I am trying to realize it.

Yes, the heat makes me feel like my head is going to explode.  Quite the opposite of my Northern friends, this is the time of year that it is easy for us Southerners to get cabin fever.  When it’s too hot to even think about going outside.  That said, I am bracing myself for the challenge of what lies ahead, while mentally preparing myself for it.

Rather than replace the home I am in, I’ve decided to love it again, and all of its 100-year-old quirks.  I don’t need a new home to be happy.  What I need is a home filled with love, light, and good food.

I was originally thinking of homeschooling year-round, because really, we are always reading, always learning.  But I’m going to mix things up a bit.  Let go of some expectations, and give myself a break from worrying if I am doing it right.

And so, inspired by Shari’s Spring Manifesto, I bring you my Summer Manifesto:

This summer I will:

  • Take my children to the beach as much as possible.
  • Allow myself to take a nap in the middle of the day.
  • Escape Florida for at least a few days.
  • Revisit old summertime favorites: To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn.
  • Knit, knit and knit.
  • Enjoy cooking again.
  • Daydream.
  • Plan my fall garden.
  • Wear skirts and go barefoot.
  • Make ice cream from scratch.
  • Cut my kids some slack and say “yes” more often.
  • Ride my pink bike.
  • Prepare my home for chickens.
  • Eat more fresh fruit.
  • Celebrate more.
  • Worry less.

What’s your Summer Manifesto?

4 Responses to “Embracing Summer”

  1. kangaroo writes:

    Reading this post made me feel calmer. I am so right there with you. My manifesto: can I copy yours? :)

  2. Becky writes:

    we are so fortunate to live in this beautiful town…hoping to see you this summer

  3. Melissa writes:

    I know exactly how you feel–we live in Ft. Lauderdale and have an almost three-year-old, and I’m dreading the cooped up days of summer. I love your list though! Inspiring! I had some of the same things on my list, like make homemade icecream, the beach, cooking, and knitting. Can I borrow some of yours?? Like the “saying yes” idea… I always enjoy reading your blog, especially knowing it’s from a Florida perspective…

  4. Nicola writes:

    Oh, I am so glad you posted to my blog. I think you and I have a lot in common. (Although weather in the mid 90s is not one of those things. We seem to be having June weather that thinks it is February.)

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