I’m reading the books recommended by Austin Kleon for his new book club: Read Like an Artist. I’ve just begun The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Our library didn’t have this one and so I had to buy it. As I read the first chapter, Morning Swim, I found my mind wandering. When was the last time I went for a swim? When did I last go barefoot outdoors? This nagging thought stayed with me all day. What if I never learn to “get ready and let go of everything and just dive?” Just to make myself feel better, I walked barefoot in the yard, around the garden path, through the puddles of summer rain that came with a cool front today.
Mentally, I began to construct a simple summer checklist of things to do.
Try a new ice cream flavor. I did this one already - Blue Bell Blackberry Cobbler (oh my gosh . . . so wonderful).
Play backgammon with my husband on the screened-in porch, well into the evening, twinkling lights glowing. Listen to our favorite records when it gets too dark to play.
Take a whole day’s worth of photos with a disposable camera. Not the artsy kind, just for fun.
Make the peach cobbler from the King Arthur flour website. And enjoy it with ice cream, too.
Read a few good books. Make a trip to a real bookstore or two.
Watch fireworks with my husband who loves them so very much.
Hike a new-to-me trail.
Wade in the water. Ride my bicycle. Eat cotton candy or a funnel cake.