7 Tips for a Stellar Summer

1. Embrace the sweat. One thing that AB, DL, and I all share is that we are naturally sweaty people. Maybe we're just supremely well hydrated. I've got to say though, I don't think that a day has passed this summer that I have not sweated a little (or a ton) more than usual. Part of it is that working at a nature center means I'm outside a lot, but it's also June in Maryland, and sweating is what you do when you walk outside. Don't fight it. Just let it be and take a shower at the end of the day. Showers feel best when you need them the most anyway. Your summer's gonna be pretty boring if you're afraid of pit stains...

2. You can do fun things alone. When I lived closer to all of my friends, I pretty much never took fun day trips by myself because there was always someone I could text and we could make plans to go wherever in a few hours. But now that my friends all have some combination of jobs, classes, busy lives, or car troubles (and live 40 minutes away) those impromptu trips aren't always possible. I could use this as an excuse to sit inside and waste the day away, or I can embrace it and take myself out. I'll admit that going to Greenbrier and Cunningham Falls isn't half as fun without my gal pals, but it's still a relaxing way to spend a summer afternoon, just reading a book and listening to music and writing in my journal, creepily watching cute couples with their cute children playing on the sand. Don't be afraid to go places and do things alone. You might get lost, you might get bored, you might feel a little loser-ish, but in the end, it's liberating to know that all you need is yourself and a BF (that's book friend, not boy friend) to have a good time.

3. Don't think you'll have time later. I knew I'd basically have a month and a half to do half of my summer bucket list because starting June 25th I'll be working Monday through Friday 7:30AM-4PM. That still leaves plenty of time in the evenings and weekends for fun excursions and get-togethers, but I recognize that it greatly limits my free time. I've also never worked full time before, so I think it'll probably take a week or two for me to adjust and not be exhausted after work. I purposefully didn't wait around at the beginning of the summer to do the things I wanted to do, because I knew there probably wouldn't be time later. This is a good mindset to have, because it forces you to just go ahead and do whatever it is you want to do. Sure, anticipation and planning are half the fun of any adventure, but sometimes you miss the chance to make your adventures happen when you think you'll have time later.

4. Go outside. After spending a good portion of last summer in a freezingly air conditioned office scanning charts, ordering supplies, and running sterilization machines and now having a job where I spend half of my day outside, I can assure you that being outside in the summer is infinitely better than being inside. It's not glamorous (unless you're one of those rare people who don't seem to sweat ever) but there's something refreshing about it. I guess it reminds me of being a kid in the summer, when we practically lived outside. I'm not an outdoorsy girl, but I've come to realize how important it is to just be outside. You don't need to go do manual labor or run a marathon. You can just enjoy sitting out on your porch, or by the pool, or taking a stroll through the woods.

5. You still need God. This one is aimed directly at me. I feel rather hypocritical even writing this, because it's the hardest of the 7 for me to actually practice. When I'm at school, my spiritual life is so structured by bi-weekly Bible studies and bi-weekly church service that it's hard to fall of the wagon. At home, where I have no community, no Bible studies, and a church that I go to for an hour once a week, it feels like an uphill battle to stay connected to God. It's also a lot harder because I feel like I don't "need" Him as much, since I don't have anything stressing me out and I feel like everything is basically going good and in my control. But a couple weeks of living that way and I start to feel pretty wretched and I'm reminded that always and everywhere, in the best of times and the worst, in the dead of winter and the bright, sunny days of summer, I need God just as much as ever.

6. Wake up (kind of) early. Another hypocritical one...I'm not a morning person. I've become a little bit more of morning person as I've gotten older (adjusting my ideal wake up time from 11:30 AM to 9:30 AM) but I do feel much more productive if I get up early-ish, especially during the summer when it's already sunny at 7 AM. Summer is pretty fleeting, and I don't suggest sleeping it all away. Sure, enjoy the fact that you can relax and get a good amount of sleep, but don't abuse it like I've done for 20 years....Because when August comes you'll probably wish you'd been awake for a little more of your summer.

7. Find a way to add structure to your life. You don't need a job to do this. You don't even need classes or volunteer work or a strict workout regime. You just need a couple things every day or every week that you're planning to do, whether fun (going out to eat with friends) or not so fun (doing laundry and cleaning your room). If you wake up every day thinking, "Eh, I'll just do whatever I feel like" you're going to get bored really easily and waste your day doing pointless boredom busting activities like scrolling mindlessly through the Internet. Make plans, make a schedule, do something to give yourself something to look forward to. Some people are better at using free time than others. I know that I'm the kind of person that wastes it, and I know that making plans and having things that I have to/should do helps keep the boredom and time wasting at bay and makes me feel a lot happier and more productive in the end.

     Ultimately, there's no right way to spend a summer. If you're enjoying yourself and feeling pretty relaxed, I think you're doing a pretty great job. But if you're not, I hope these tips will help you like they've helped me. :)

-SE Wagner