I was flipping through an old issue of SELF magazine (July ’08) at the gym last night and felt like the blurb “Prevent summer letdown” was speaking directly to me:
(In fact, that entire page – front and back – may have been speaking directly to me. The article next to it was titled “How I stopped cursing a blue streak” and the one on the back side of the page was “Be a good gossip.”)
I spend a lot of time during the winter and spring fantasizing about the summer. A LOT. Steven can back me up on this because he’s had to listen to me talk about it all winter long.
What am I fantasizing about? Weekends spent at the cabin in Guttenberg (Iowa), boating, swimming, eating, lounging… and also nice summer days, with long runs in the warm sun.
Steven and I have coordinated our schedules so we have a quite a few 3-day and 4-day weekends this summer. But, who’s to say that we will be able to stick to our plan of getting away to Guttenberg 100%? I know we won’t. We already have weekends filling up with plans that require us to stay home over the weekends, and who knows what the weather will be like anyway. Oh, and it would be good to get some chores done and not abandon Data completely.
The article recommends keeping an element of reality in your fantasy. And isn’t that good advice for any fantasy? I would say so. It seems our fantasies become more attainable (and turn into goals!) when we DO give them a sense of reality.
So I am going to follow some of the tips when I feel like I am “stuck at home” this summer. We have an amazing forest preserve system in the county I live in that I have really been wanting to explore. We have a grill, and neighbors we like to spend time with. And we do live “close” to that wonderful city of Chicago – there might be something to do there!
Maybe I should have saved this for a Friday Question (since I seem to have trouble coming up with them), but do you have summer fantasies? Do you usually see them out? Or do you need to prevent summer letdown as well?
You know what else is close and awesome? The Independence Grove forest preserve thing. They have a wonderful beach (that’s the one I go to all the time with the kids) and have pedal boats, I think little canoes you can rent, bikes etc. It is so much fun!
I too have been looking forward to summer all winter long. I take Fridays off from work from June through August so I can spend time going to Wisconsin and enjoying long weekends with my family. I love to be able to go for a Friday morning run instead of work. Plans inevitably come up that force us to stay home, but you adapt and make the best of those situations and find something local to do. As you said there are great parks and of course easy access to Chicago and the beautiful lake front. Just let summer happen and enjoy the warm weather and being able to spend time outside when you can.
um, i honestly think this is the first summer i’ve looked forward too… normally i just think how hot it’s going to be and how i won’t want to do anything… i’m so looking forward to weekend golf tournaments and camping in colorado or new mexico… other than that, i’m just really looking forward to being outside this summer, enjoying everything!!!!
=^..^=
Add some reality to your fantasy? Are they crazy? If I added reality to my fantasy, I’d actually have to start buying lottery tickets, and that just isnt going to happen!
This summer I am still to fluffy to really have a fantasy about days lounging by the pool and long runs in the evening when it starts to cool down, but summer 2010 is going to ROCK
Oooh, we should do a hiking and picnic day out by you guys!! That would be fun!
Honestly, after being so sick last summer, anything I have to look forward to this year is a blessing. But it is hard when I see/read about people running around outside while I am stuck in the office. We’re doing summer hours but I don’t know how that will affect me. Today I caught myself wishing my hours go down this summer, as awful as that sounds….
I definitely have summer fantasies…for some reason, summer in my mind should mean no work, which is totally never happening 😉 I do like to spend lots of my time outside and try to catch up on reading books…we’ll see!
So true, it is so easy to forget that summer can’t be one long vacation…work and other oblgations don’t go away because it’s nice out…although that would be awesome if they did!
Hey, we should have a summer meet-up in Chicago! That’s what summer is for, right?
I just have the strong desire to run away to an island. So, I have island let-down, not summer letdown. 😉
Well, maybe I can help you with keeping your summer real. Anytime you want to come into the city for fun, you let me know. Would love to meet up with you at some point. =)
I do seem to spend a good amount of time looking forward to the next season, no matter which season it currently is. Hmm… a couple of exceptions are those perfect spring and fall days that we sometimes get several weeks of in a row. I don’t look forward to any weather change at those times.
I dream of having a getaway house by the water. Someday! I don’t really think in terms of seasons since living in Seattle makes it a bit impossible. August through October are our best months and I hope to get out on weekend excursions. IF my tenants quit giving notice that is.
I usually get cranky when I see lids going off on their summer vacations while I’m stuck at work – but I think if I really savor all the good moments outside and plan some weekendy stuff.
Still trying to plan Chicago. Argh. Maybe I’ll push that off to Sept. : )
tori – I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place! That is my favorite place to run. I did a 12-miler there once, and saw an otter and turtles and ducks and geese… I LOVED it! And we love the paddle boats. Oh! And don’t they have free concerts on Thursdays during the summer? Do you ever go to those? We could run, then go to the concert. That would be fun!
Tony – I think your WI dream trips are similar to my trips to Guttenberg! But I know that most of my summer is booked now, and I can’t be there every weekend. I am enjoying the weather though! Today, I was actually thinking, “We have a WHOLE week of nice weather ahead of us! We don’t have to talk about those ‘nice days’ like they are singular anymore!” I am really going to focus on making the most of the weather.
CourtneyInControl – Isn’t it summer all year ’round there? 😛 Ha ha. I hope you can enjoy the outdoors, even if it is too hot!
Scale Warfare – Come on, make summer 2009 rock! You aren’t too fluffy. Although, I think you are cute for saying “fluffy”!
diane – Hiking AND tennis! We must set a date! I hope your summer hours truly ARE summer hours that let you enjoy the weather. And ENJOY LIFE!!!
Bethany – I always think summer should be work-free too. My mom works at a school-centered daycare, so she gets summers off, but usually works or takes classes. We’re never truly free are we?! At least we were in college 😉 (Even though I worked then too, at least I could nap and work out during the day!)
Amanda – It would be perfect if they did. But then I guess we would hate winters even more, because we would have more work to do! Ha ha!
Mica – I am TOTALLY IN! I think there are a few other Chicago runners I would LOVE to meet!
Kyra – Ha! Do you get that island newsletter? Steven does, and he always tells me when there is one that is only $1 million dollars 😉
SoMi’s Nilsa – We definitely should! I mean, come on, we live so close! 🙂 It could even be something on a week night!
Ren – Today is one of those days for me. I am loving the weather today! It could stay like this for at least a month! I love it to be stinking hot when I go to Guttenberg though.
sizzle – I have got to visit Seattle and see what it is like! Apparently, I need to visit between Aug-Oct.! 😉
Gina (Mannyed) – I get jealous when people who have more vacay than me seem to be gone all the time! But, I am grateful to have the schedule I do have. I am happy to hear you are still thinking about Chicago! And the games in Sept. will be the good ones, right?
With the exception of cursing up a blue streak, your post spoke directly to me.
I have many summer fantasies. Most of them involve enjoying as much time outdoors as possible. Perhaps my biggest is to be in shape, which is something I was hoping to have done during the last part of winter, but there were other things that got in the way. But I’m hoping to spend most of my summer getting back into shape and getting back into a routine that will keep me healthy (a blog post on my blog will be discussing this very soon)
That article gives some good advice on how to avoid the letdown, yet still accomplish some things that you want to do.
martymankins – This is the summer! You will get back in shape and develop good habits that will pull you through the winter and back into the summer. I can’t wait to read about it!