To Have Summer Like a Child Again
Why did summer use to feel so exciting when we were kids?
We made bucket lists. We had plans. It felt like the real beginning of something, more than January ever did. Living on a school year schedule definitely shaped that feeling, but it wasn’t just about the time off. It was about the magic of it. The possibility.
There was something so alive about summer back then: the feeling of catching fireflies in glass jars, the sidewalk under our bare feet, the taste of ice cream after sunset, and the smoky scent of campfires that lingered in our clothes. It was a time for being outside, being messy, staying up late, and forgetting what day it was.
But maybe we can have that again – or at least something close.
Yes, many of us now have “regular” jobs and responsibilities, and summer doesn’t always feel like an escape anymore. It may just be another quarter. But maybe we can make the ordinary something sacred. Maybe we give ourselves permission to make summer feel special again, even if it’s just in pockets of time.
Make a bucket list! Or better yet, a pleasure list, a get to-do list.
Nothing to prove, nothing to achieve. Just things that make you feel more alive. Like:
• Hosting a dinner party with too much wine and good conversation
• Learning a new craft, just for fun
Try that new coffee shop you pass on your way to work
• Booking concert tickets on a whim
• Going camping without phone service
• Visiting a new bar in your own town
• Taking a spontaneous day trip
• Having a full eight-hour beach day — the kind that lasts until dusk, when your skin is warm and your heart feels full
As kids, everything felt exciting because we were constantly seeing life for the first time. But that wonder doesn’t have to fade. If we keep pushing the edges of what we know — trying, feeling, exploring — the spark can stay with us. Expansion and joy don’t have to be reserved for childhood. And in the same way, summer isn’t just a season. It’s an energy we can carry with us all year long.
There’s something about summer that makes life feel softer. Time stretches and blurs. Plans loosen. We live more intuitively — eating when we’re hungry, resting when we’re tired, playing when we want joy. And even when we’re “busy,” it’s a different kind of busy. The kind centered on sunshine, connection, and doing things just because they’re fun.
Lately, I’ve been noticing how quickly sunshine shifts my mood and changes the texture of a day. After weeks of rain in New Jersey, even with the heatwave we’re in now, the sun feels like a kind of healing. The beach becomes this sanctuary — where we can lounge, float, nap, snack, read, and do absolutely nothing. And for once, it doesn’t feel lazy. It feels deserved. We’re at the beach. No one expects anything more from us.
And that’s what summer gives us: a place to be. A way to belong, just by showing up.
After moving back north, I was excited to feel that buzz again — the energy that pulses through June and July, where everyone seems to be making plans, staying out later, sleeping in, saying yes more. The energy of summer warmth and the feeling of sunshine that is indeed something special. And yet, when I lived in Florida, where it’s warm year-round, I felt something different. The sun was always there, and I started to feel guilty if I wasn’t outside enjoying it. Funny how abundance can shift into pressure.
In the north, summer is fleeting. So we cherish it harder. We notice it more. Which also means there’s more urgency to slow down, soak it in, and stay present.
Summer flies. But it doesn’t have to slip away unnoticed.
Maybe we don’t need to chase an endless summer in the literal sense. Maybe we just need to learn how to live like it’s summer, wherever we are, whatever the calendar says. Because summer isn’t just about weather or school breaks. It’s about the feeling of being open, inspired, and in love with life again.
So go make your bucket list. Or don’t.
Just promise yourself one thing: let this season mean something.
