Avoiding The Summer Bummer
“Life begins again when it gets crisp in the fall”
I was content with spending my summer months lazily flipping through travel magazines and writing half-hearted posts for someone else’s blog until I realized, just today, that I would be missing this a month from now. With the arrival of August comes never-ending packing sessions, midnight runs to target and the constant need for dirty chai tea lattés to get me through long days. As unmemorable as this summer felt, I know that soon it will be all I want to return to. So, I’m sitting down now with a cup of milk and honey in hand and Mr. Bojangles playing in the background to write my first post of the summer about how not to miss summer. Here are five ways I am planning on bringing the warmth of summer into the autumnal months!
Soft Fabrics, Softer Colors.
When I begin to shop for spring and summer, I tend to find myself floating towards dresses. The more flowy and floral the dresses are, the faster I’ll whip out my wallet. Think Parisian countryside chic. Maybe this is the product of watching one too many Jane Austen book adaptations but dresses have always given me that special desire for the romantic summer of my dreams. I doubt I’ll be twirling through a field of flowers anytime soon, but a girl can dream, right? Slipping on a pastel-colored dress, even under a thick cardigan and knee-highs will ensure that I can add that little bit of magic to my day. Maybe I will find a field of flowers to twirl through in a dress one of these days. Here’s to hoping a Pride and Prejudice era Colin Farrell look-alike will be waiting at the other side
It’s easy to immediately find yourself partial to the combination of dark frumpy sweaters and jeans the second the cold sets in. Suddenly, you look around and you find yourself in a sea of burnt orange, plum and red. But what would happen if I exchanged that one oversized black sweater for something resembling the bright colors of the summer? Challenging the color coded normality of fall could bring a much-needed twist to my wardrobe. That being said, I will be attempting to incorporate a little more of that summer feeling into my future outfits. I don’t know if I’ll be rolling into class in a pair of short shorts but I’ll definitely make sure I’ll feel just as confident in whatever it is I’m wearing. .
To Read is to Live.
I don’t take enough time to just read. Despite my being an English major, I’ve found that I have less and less time to really read. And by reading I mean: brewing a nice cup of tea, sitting myself down in a comfy chair and reading something that I’m interested in. Last spring, I could count the number of books I read in an entire school year on one hand (with three fingers remaining). I immediately thought it was because I didn’t have the desire to read anymore. This summer revealed that not only do I still have a desire to read, but I still have a desire to make myself that cup of tea and get in that chair. Writing essay after essay on assigned texts can severely dampen your excitement around reading. This summer, I’m taking the opportunity to read everything I have wanted to read since beginning college. By fall, I hope to have lived a thousand lives through the books I have read (or at least enough to hold me over through another year of required reading).
A Time for Adventure
Summer is notorious for being the prime time for exploration in your youth. Setting off on day-long adventures that were talked about for years practically defined my childhood. Racing a friend to a nearby swimming pool, trying a new food from somewhere else in the world and camping out in the backyard were all memorable adventures. Back then, everything was new and exciting. I want to make sure that my sophomore year will be just like those summer adventures! One of my favorite things to do is have spontaneous picnics with friends and family in a really lovely area. Los Angeles, being easily one of the most exciting cities in the world, has so much adventure within my reach. It’s up to me to find the time and the effort to determine what the city of angels has to offer.
Sweet Treats
This one is perhaps the simplest of all: I’m going to make myself a warm glass of milk and honey when I want to have a sweet dream. Everyone has their own sweet treats with happy memories associated with it from childhood. When i was little, it was the way my dad got me to sleep and convinced me I would avoid nightmares. Somehow, it never failed. So, as I embark on more challenging college days ahead, I’ll think of the confidence I once had in that glass of milk and honey. Ten-year-old Maya believed that after drinking it (and licking the bottom of the glass for honey a couple times just in case) that she would have sweet dreams. So, maybe I should believe that my future will be just as sweet this autumn! Making a glass of milk and honey every now and then can’t hurt either.
Xx, Maya