If you’re anything like me, June 21st is one of your favorite days of the year. Living in Canada, the winter is long, dark and cold. When summer finally comes, we carpe the hell out of that diem and soak up every second of sun.
The summer solstice should be a day when you stop, smell the peonies and feel the gratitude for making one more safe journey around the sun to this marvelous place. Don’t let summer zoom by in a flash, take the time to make the most of these gloriously long days.
Make a list, check it twice
Making a list of the things you would like to do this summer is key to being mindful and making the most of it. I put my list on the fridge, so it reminds me to make time for summer. It really works! I’ll share my summer list with you for inspiration, but feel free to get the whole family involved. It’s a great reference when your kids get bored in the looooong summer holiday.
- Ride a bike
- Fly a kite
- Walk in the river
- Pick fruit
- Blow bubbles
- Watermelon seed spitting contest
- Swim in a lake
- Hammock time!
- Enjoy a bonfire
- Make s’mores
- Go camping
- Canoe or kayak
- Picnic like crazy!
Get Outside
Celebrate summer by taking a long walk in the most natural place accessible to you. The woods, a garden, a park or any natural setting where you can just spend time connecting with nature.
Do some Good
Make the world a better place by donating to reforestation efforts or wildlife charities. If you can’t afford to donate money, do a garbage cleanup in your area, volunteer at a local animal shelter or go out there and do some guerilla gardening.
Bonfires!
Traditional celebrations include making a big bonfire and dancing around it until the embers burn low. Feasting and drinking celebrate the bounty that summer promises and allows us a moment of gratitude for all the good things we have. If you can’t make fires, dinner by candlelight will do and you’ll be saving energy which is a very solstice thing to do.
Happy solstice everyone. I hope this summer is magical, whimsical and wonderful.