“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
I’m a summer baby born at the end of June. So this week I’ve been making birthday plans to celebrate all week long! One of the most important self-care lessons I have experienced has been the power of celebrating myself—how far I’ve come in a year and my vision for the upcoming year.
- Home cooked dinner tonight with my family and maybe a DVD. (The only night my family will not groan when I pick a DVD and say, Oh, not one of those movies!)
- Jeff and I will have dinner tomorrow in Orlando at Margaritaville with my dear friend Antonette and her mom (my adopted mom)!
- Monday at Crescent Beach and maybe St Augustine with Jeff—dinner at South Beach Grill and their famous peanut butter pie for dessert!
- Wednesday night you’ll find me celebrating with my WriteNiters at La Cuisine our local French restaurant.
It already feels like it’s been summer for several months here in Florida, hot and humid and except for exercise I’m pretty much an indoor gal during the summer. My first career was as a movie theatre manager for United Artists so the movies are synonymous with summertime and a great escape from the heat.
These are my top picks this summer:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has an amazing cast including Judi Dench and Maggie Smith:
- Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green
- Hysteria
My family and I have been visiting a friend’s swimming pool at least a couple afternoons a week and it’s a refreshing way to sneak in those extra activity points. Another friend is building a saltwater pool which I can’t wait to try next month!
Reading at the beach is one of my all-time favorite activities (this does qualify as an activity right!?). Here are a few books on my list; hopefully the weather will cooperate and give a us a few cooler days to make it to the beach at least once a month. I’m an umbrella shade, picnic lunch, good book beach goer!
Summer novels:
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Surprisingly there are three non-fiction titles:
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
Happy summer—here’s to a slow and savor pace for your summertime celebrations!
I’m paying close attention to her word choice and descriptions and am wowed by her talent for writing.
