Although spring just started, I am already thinking about summer.
My love-hate relationship with the season does not stop me from daydreaming about the feeling of freedom, staying up late and sleeping in, reading my fun books like there’s no tomorrow, filling my time with crafts, and enjoying how time passes slowly with no immediate assignments or deadlines to worry about.
Partially for my sanity (to distract myself from the very repetitive life I’m currently living), I’ve been reflecting on my past summers. By doing so, I’ve discovered many trends and patterns that have prevented me from making the most of my free time. This summer will be different.
For starters, I’ll be on campus during the summer and will be working. So that will be different from my previous summers, when I had been able to relax at home and spend time with family. I want to take advantage of the amount of time I will have to do what I want, because as I enter my junior year of college, I know my personal time will be very limited.
I also want to take the time to be with the people I love, whether it be by making plans with my friends and connecting with my family on a deeper level or simply staying in touch with my college friends during the summer. I am not the best at striking up conversations online with my friends if I don’t already have a reason to, as I dread online small talk that leads to nowhere, but I am willing to try!
PS: If you’re my friend and will be in Fort Worth over the summer, TEXT ME!!
All that is to say, to help this summer be the best one yet, I made a bucket list. Here is the condensed version:
1. Craft (A lot!)
If you know anything about me, you know I love crafting. In fact, I love crafting so much, I yearn to craft during the school weeks when I am slumped with assignments and meetings and work. I try to find time as often as I can, as I consider crafting my way of practicing self-care, but because I need to immerse myself in the activity for hours, my time is oftentimes very limited. Still, as I get ideas or find projects to do, I make sure to jot them down for when I do have time.
My current list of crafts includes:
- DIY the old dresses I don’t wear (or don’t fit) into blouses
- Paint a clock inspired by Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally
- Scrapbooking (as expected)
- Clay crafts
- Watercolor painting (trying to start this hobby!)
- Anything else I may see on TikTok or Pinterest
2. Read books
Last summer was the first time I really took the opportunity to read. I read four books over the span of three months, which may not seem like a lot for many, but it is for me. Because I was a part of a mini book club with my friends, I was able to read books simultaneously. I usually read one book during the day (usually a “heavier” read so I could focus on it better) and one at night (generally a light-hearted romance). I want to do that again this year. Whether it be with friends or by myself, I want to challenge myself to read more books, especially ones outside of my usual reading.
Beloved by Toni Morrison will probably be my first summer read since I already own a copy of the book. I was first introduced to her work on BookTok and had the opportunity to read A Mercy in one of my classes last semester.
On my to-be-read list for the summer is also One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune. This is because I started Every Summer After, also by Fortune, last summer and loved it! I feel like it’ll be the perfect summer book, as it is literally stated in the title.
The rest of my to-be-read list for the summer is:
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (continuing my journey of reading all the books in this series before the release of the newest film!)
- Any romance book in Spanish (possibly El Faro de los Amores Dormidos by Andrea Longarela)
- Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (saving this one for the end of the summer so I can read it closer to my 20th birthday)
- Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
- A banned book (1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell or Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (I recently found a copy of this novel at a Little Free Library!)
While I don’t expect to read every single book on this list, I hope I can at least get through four.
3. ExplorE
While my first two bucket list items are both indoor activities, I want to use this summer to explore the outdoors, too. During the school year, I am always behind walls and screens, whether it be in class, at work, or studying. I rarely go outside and admire nature, unless I’m walking to class or sitting in the campus commons working on an assignment.
During the summer, I want to be more intentional with how I spend my time outside. I want to go on walks and bike rides around parks or nature spots. I would love to go on a hike before the temperature rises to 100°F (dreading that) or simply be around a natural body of water! I don’t know how to swim, but it’s been years since I’ve been near a lake or an ocean or inside a pool.
I also want to use my time to romanticize Fort Worth. For someone who’s lived here for nine years, I barely know the city, and I think that’s why I grew to hate it so much in high school. I want to go to coffee shops and bookstores and pretend I’m a tourist just so I can get a feel of the Fort Worth everyone at TCU is experiencing.
Last but not least, I want to go on a trip. Whether it be to neighboring cities, such as Dallas or Carrollton, or down south to Austin, I want to explore other places in Texas (or outside of Texas).
Most importantly, I want to have fun. I need to rest and recharge for the semester ahead, because, as it seems, it will be a busy one. I don’t want to make the same mistakes I made this past summer that ultimately led me to start the fall semester completely unmotivated and burnt out.
Even if you don’t have a bucket list or an idea of what you want to do with your free time, the best thing you can do is slow your pace and take a look at the world around you. Talk to your people and do what you enjoy, take care of yourself and rest up for the new semester. Happy summer!