The New York Times has challenged its readers to an intentional summer. Every week, they're offering a suggestion to set this summer apart from the rest of the year. The first challenge is to walk or bike somewhere that you'd normally drive, to make an ordinary trip a little more extraordinary.
I love this idea of an intentional summer and I'm glad that The New York Times has created a series of suggestions for how to make it happen. It's like a mini happiness project that they've put together, saving us some of the work of planning. We just have to go out and reap the rewards!
One line in the article stood out to me, a quote from Gretchen Rubin (whom I talk about here): '“Life feels richer when some parts of it are different.” Routine days run together into a single memory, while special things stand out.'
Does that ring true to you? Life feels richer when some parts of it are different. With small kids, we're pretty set in our routines, often doing our daily tasks the same way every day for ease and convenience. But maybe this summer we should shake it up a bit. We live about four miles outside of the nearest town, so we usually drive in. The kids love taking the bus, so maybe we'll try to do that more and to drive less. And maybe Saturday morning we can bike to the local bakery for a little treat - who doesn't love a Saturday morning treat?
What else can we do differently? Do you have any traditions or rituals that you use to set certain seasons, moments, or days apart? I'd love to hear.
Photo by Ryan McGuire
KP says
I think this is a really neat idea. Have you ended up trying any of these things? If so, how did it go? Did it set moments apart? It's funny because I am at a stage of life with a baby where we are trying hard to find our routine, so are looking forward to a time when things are more predictable and easier to plan around. But reading this makes me wonder if maybe we could take a little more joy around the unpredictability of it all. "Surrender" has been my mantra as things feel out of control...surrender to it and enjoy its specialness as all moments are fleeting....
Jodi says
We've done a handful of them, but I do wish I'd tried harder to do every challenge. We've taken the bus and the train a lot this summer and the kids have LOVED it. With a new baby, though, and this being her first summer, I'd imagine that everything feels new and different and out-of-time. I always felt like adjusting to life with a new baby was enough without trying to also focus on new projects of personal growth or any of that.