Sunday, May 19, 2013

My Top 10 Things to Do This Summer


It's only a week until Memorial Day, the start of summer, and I'm ready to plan things to do. Here are the things that are on my list, so far:
1. Take a day trip. Go someplace nearby and cycle, hike, or just chill out and eat with friends. Hmm, maybe the Cloisters.
Or, if you’re more adventurous, dash through a forest or go for a run or walk in the rain. As you enter the cool shade of a nature park or hiking trail, where the sunlight slants through the green leaves, pick up your pace until you’re going at a clip. Enjoy the scenery and the exercise.
2. Catch a performance. Whether it’s a musical, recital, concert, or a play, nothing beats the felling that comes from being at close range with being people who are giving their all in expression and emotion and hopefully, with heart.
3. Tackle your ‘To Be Read’ pile while you’re at the beach, resting in the backyard, or sitting on the porch. Okay, if it’s too hot, in a cool air conditioned room works too. If you haven’t got a TBR pile, go to your local library, browse, and make a list of the books you want to read.
4. Breakfast and catch up with a friend, or group of friends, you don’t see often.
5. Throw away stuff. Start with one room, a small room. If that’s too fear provoking, start with a closet.
6. Reconnect. Send an email, text, or instant message to someone you lost touch with. Look at number 4. Actually, I'm planning to go to the RWA National Conference in Atlanta and have planned to see my friend Rosanne. We haven't seen each other in ages.
7. Take a road trip with the girls! The word ‘summer’ and ‘road trip’ go together like ‘hotdog’ and ‘mustard.’ In college, road trips were ways to burn weekends, which, of course, started on Friday. The key is to keep the vacation short and inexpensive.
8. Think of something you used to do all by yourself when you were younger/ unattached, when time was all you ever had, all you ever needed. If it is at all possible, wrangle half a day and spend it exactly as you did. Then write about it and post it in the comments here.
9. Okay, so I've listed day trips and road trips but for me there is nothing like getting the entire family together for some quality time together. It's a bit difficult to get everyone's schedule synchronized but we're working at a week at the beach.

10. I plan to write one book over the summer and plan out a second.


How do you plan to spend the summer?

15 comments:

  1. I have to finish writing my next historical romance by August, so I'll probably be tied to my computer most of the summer. That's okay, since I can work from my screened in porch in the backyard and catch a whiff from my roses every now and then when the breeze is right. Maybe I'll spend a weekend on a road trip, but not too far away. I'll be content with that.

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  2. That sounds wonderful. My deck has an overhang so it's nice to sit in the shade but it's not screened in. But I can easily foresee another project once the kitchen remodel is done!

    Enjoy!

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  3. Thanks for reminding me I did set a goal. I stuffed a manuscript into a drawer last year because I thought I'd done every possible rewrite there was, but. . . I'm giving it another chance and another rewrite. I had hoped to finish at the end of this month. Now I'm planning to finish by the end of June. We'll see.

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  4. Laura - enjoy the rewrite. Sometimes a bit of space gives your mind time to think things through.

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  5. I'll be missing RWA this summer but I'll enjoy reading all the tweets from there. Have fun! I like the map of your summer.

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  6. Your ideas are great! I hope to dollow your list too.

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  7. Hi Veronica -

    Sorry you won't be in Atlanta. I hope I can keep to my plan>

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  8. Alexa - Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. Great list, Ruth! I have a lot planned for this summer, too. Lots of writing, but also a trip up to Maine and hopefully lots of fun with my family.

    Have a great time!

    Emma Kaye

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  10. I love this list. I think I should make one too. I have a mental list of things I want to do. Originally, I thought I'd take it easy this summer. Recover from the last year of craziness. But I also want to write two short stories and then there's a project I wanted to work on with a friend of mine. Then I thought I should get thatbook finished. The one that I'm using for the agent search...which I also decided to do this summer.

    So I don't think I'm going to be taking it too easy. Either that or I'm going to have to shorten the list. I do want to go away for a weekend with my husband. I want to take the kids to the beach. And I already started the clean the closet/throw stuff away campaign! I plan to go through all he files and all the craft paraphernalia. The problem with one closet at a time. I swear I do one closet and the next week, the kids have stuffed it full again!

    Good luck with you list!

    Shawna

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  11. Having trouble posting, hope this comes thru:

    Great list, Ruth! Productive & fulfuilling! Hope I can do the same!

    Jenna Blue

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  12. I like your list, Ruth. I'll be packing up our house to move in the fall--going through a closet would be a lot easier. LOL Completing the 1st draft of a new book is on my list and carving out special time for Hubs and the grandkids.

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  13. Hi Ruth,
    Whew, your list is making me tired! I can maybe do a couple of things on your list. My husband and I are taking a couple of trips this summer to reconnect with family so that will be nice. I've done some major decluttering in the last year and I still have more to go. It's never ending! But hopefully I will finish plotting a couple of books and finish a draft of at least one. Lots to do!

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