“What are you going to do with your summer?”

This is a question I get asked often this time of year. While I may have a few months off from everyday interaction with my students, I feel like I have plenty of regular responsibilities to keep me busy. I live in a multi-generational household, which presents wonderful opportunities and also asserts unique challenges. There’s a stack of books I want to read and review, tasks I’d like to catch up on, seasonal household chores to tackle . . . oh no, I’m not looking around wondering what I’m going to do. I’m just wondering where to start. 🙃

I want to find a good summer routine. Here are some of the goals I’d like it to incorporate:

• Don’t stay up too late at night.
• Don’t sleep too late in the morning.
  • These two go together. I function better if I keep somewhat close to my normal sleep/wake hours.
• Keep daily time in God’s word a priority.
• Have time for fun and rest.
• Have time for work and responsibilities.
• Exercise.
• Do writerly things.
  • Write!
  • Read craft books.
  • Watch webinars that address areas I want to grow in.
  • Interact with and encourage fellow authors.

I’m doing pretty good on these so far. I’ve switched what used to my evening walk to the morning, getting out earlier in the day to beat the heat. I could use some work on my bedtime, but I’ve yet to sleep in to an hour I would be embarrassed to admit, so that’s a win. 🙂 In the coming weeks I’d like to establish these things with more structure, but for now I’m just trying to be alert to what needs to be done each day. There’s no need to rush into it, as one needs some recovery time after the school year ends.

I hope your summer is off to a good start! May you have adventures of the fun variety, and may God bless you with health and joy and refreshment during this season.

Image by Kittidet Ratchata from Pixabay