My Summer Goal

I love summertime. I love the jubilant feeling that spreads as the days grow long and special summertime rituals-the library Summer Reading Program, swimming pools and water parks, Fourth of July events-fill the calendar. Even though I am an absolute wimp when it comes to hot weather and I long for the cooler days of falltime, I still really do love this current season. However, over the years, I've found that a general lack of routine during the summer months can cause me to fall into a bit of a slump. Crafting a "Summer Bucket List" with a list of objectives has been helpful to me in the past, so that I stay mentally, physically, and spiritually on track. Items ranging from "Bike to daily Mass" to "Read at least one of Shakespeare's plays" have graced my seasonal to-do lists over the years. 

This year, though, I decided not to make a detailed list. Instead, I have a general goal, which is becoming the theme of my summer. You know how many bloggers write about picking a "word for the year"? Well, that's kind of what happened to me regarding summertime. As I thought about what I wanted to do and achieve this summer, one word kept coming back to me: invest.

A few months ago, I thought about how I, sadly, will often try to participate in an overabundance of activities, and wind up neglecting some really important friendships (and stretching myself way too thinly) in the process. Summer began shortly after this revelation, and I decided to make more time in my life for my deep, long-standing friendships. Instead of going on a big vacation (which we thought about doing, but decided against because I'm hugely pregnant and have no energy), I realized that I can put my time and energy in the relationships that God has blessed me with, and the activities that I really want to do.

All of those people who my husband and I have thought about for months, saying: "They're so cool, we really need to have them over to play board games sometime"? This summer, we have been pulling out our calendar and contacting these wonderful men and women so we can actually invest time and energy into our friendships through food and games. 

The awesome women at my church who I sporadically see every couple months? I'm making more of an effort to clear my schedule and initiate times to meet up with them either at daily Mass,  a baking day, or an informal Bible-study meeting. 

That writing which I always want to do but never get around to? I'm rearranging my daily schedule to make sure that I invest time in my creative pursuits every single day. 

My memories of having  fun adventures and playing games with my husband before a toddler turned our life upside-down? We've started carving out time to invest in our relationship and continue making those memories together by having weekly in-home dates as a couple. 

I've been making time for adventures...here's a treasure we found
when we explored a tiny, dumpy-looking store that we found. 

While going on a big trip would be amazing, I'm finding that taking these summertime months to intentionally dive deeper into my relationships and passions has been really fruitful. I don't want to hold myself to a "word of the year," but I believe that my summertime goal will continue to play a large role in my life this year. Life is fleeting and precious, and I don't want to take the people in my life for granted. Step by step, I want to become better at making time for others in my own life-and this summer has been a great chance to begin that mission.