Summer Wish List

Although we have not done it for awhile, my children well remember the big poster papers we'd put up on the door in the kitchen each season. On the paper we'd each list things we'd like to do, whether individually or as a family. For example in the winter I might list "Go ice skating" and "Read by the Fire", where Paul might add "Go tubing" or "Build a snow fort". As the seasons got underway, we didn't go at the lists in a frenzied attempt to "Do it all", but they did serve as a visual reminder of our family's wishes.

Today I found myself wanting to make my own list for the upcoming summer. I love making lists. I always have. There is something comforting about them but only if they do not stand in the way of being spontaneous. If lists confine me, I throw them away and try a different approach in any necessary planning work. But I rarely feel that lists confine me. And I am sure that there will be more "List Blog Posts" in some shape or form in the future. But for now, I am thinking of how summer cannot arrive quickly enough for me this year. I know it's still a good two and a half months away, but after what has been a tough winter, I'm aching for the lightness that the season brings.

So, I share the following wish list items for my summer of 2011. With the exception of item #1, these are in no particular order. I will most likely add to this list in the following weeks and I'll surely ask my children and my husband if they wish to make their own. Maybe we'll bring back the poster paper for the door in the kitchen!

1. Get a puppy...as soon as possible.
2. Nap in the hammock.
3. Dance in the rain.
4. Read as many novels as possible.
5. Help Emma redecorate her bedroom.
6. Enjoy a moonlit stroll at the ocean.
7. Hike more, especially at Mount Katahdin.
8. Buy a new bike and go riding with Paul.
9. Eat on the deck often.
10. Cut fresh flowers for the table each week.
11. Host a laid back, lantern lit summertime party with old friends.
12. Play more board games with the kids.
13. Get back to painting with acrylics.
14. Visit Cathy, the pedicure lady, every few weeks.
15. Camp out with the kids.
16. Go to the Drive-In.
17. Be at camp... often.
18. Watch as many sunsets as possible.
19. Go to more Sea Dog games and get to the Red Sox if possible.
20. Race the kids to the ice cream truck.
21. Go back to Water Country.
22. Make at least one road trip with just the girls.
23. Lose all sense of time..
24. "Unplug" often.
25. Kayak as much as I can.
26. Take in the view from the dock.
27. Play more games of basketball at dusk.
28. Find a new yoga class.
29. Grill vegetables and create new recipes.
30. Breathe...Dream...Laugh...Love.

Often I think summer only begins after the last day of school and ends immediately when the yellow school buses begin arriving in the neighborhood. This list is my way of preparing for a new mindset. I want to squeeze a little more summer into the weeks of spring.

Oh and the next list I'll make? Possible puppy names !