When I entered kindergarten, my mother told the principal: "I have one daugher who is here to study. And one who is here to have fun." So it was perhaps surprising that I've spent the last 16 years in a place that has the highest concentration of overachievers on the planet. I learned very quickly that I would never be the smartest, most educated, most well traveled, most connected person in the room. It took me a long time to figure out my own superlative and, when I did, I realized it had magical value. Chief Slacker in Residence may not seem like a title to aspire to, but, in that sea of bests and mosts, it was a perspective that was useful to a group of Type A's hopped up on stress.
Here's what they'd get in a conversation with me:
Do you really have to do all those things? Why don't you pick just two or three? Do you need a break? When's your next vacation? That sounds complicated -- how can we make it easier? There really is no deadline with this, so take your time. Maybe you want to change your hours, work from home a couple of days a week? What can you throw overboard? Oh, that's too hard. Let's do something else.
Turns out being the One Who Was Here To Have Fun was the key to my success. My mom is a prophet. And with that in mind, here's my Summer is a Verb 2015 list:
be outside
take time to enjoy each summer evening
read 20 pages a day (inspired by this)
honor our summer traditions (like our 8th annual family barhop!)
take lots and lots of photos
explore our new world on the lower Cape (the lower Cape, while counterintuitive, is the portion farthest from the mainland)
For those of you who are thinking this is a very vague list, you are right. I keep a running list of all sorts of things I'd like to do (and each fits into one of these six categories). But I have time. I can pick two or three. I'm taking a break. I'm here to have fun.
Happy Summer!