“Then followed that beautiful season / Summer. Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The summer months are but a few weeks away.

School will finish and set my teens on a rhythm of late nights and late morning sleeps. Closing my eyes, I can blend into the lazy-carefree feeling we all long for. It’s good to step away from the regular routine and play.

The nudge of spontaneity leaves me with fresh creativity.

“Each fairy breath of summer, as it blows with loveliness, inspires the blushing rose.”  ~ Author Unknown

My summer bucket list will be a variation of this…

Late nights and early mornings, I’ll hear the whisper of the moon or a song at sunrise.

Gardening, stretching, snipping and clipping. Flowers dance and hummingbirds flutter.

Savor reading as words paint a picture in my minds-eye.

Let music drench and uplift my heart chambers.

Make lavender sashays and lemon-lavender cake too.

Honor the glow of candle light and evenings spent in my whimsical garden.

Encourage car rides and road trips. Spontaneous destinations to be found.

Brunches, picnics and hikes with a close circle of friends.

Always find time to write between the waves.

Linger in a sunspot and nap like my cat.

Yoga to ground & center my heart.

Coffee shops and chocolate croissant are a definite wish.

Weddings to witness and joyful tears will be shed.

Fishing poles. Warm water. Perched on a dock.

Listen to doves, coo and the cicadas’ cacophony rise and fall; it’s their song.

Meditate to soften life’s sharpness and linger in the curve.

Celebrate babies and hold their tenderness.

Enjoy s’mores and bonfires.

Welcome beaches and bare feet.

Sip lemonade or hibiscus-iced tea on hot humid days.

Languish in sundresses on blankets under full starry nights.

Witness meteor showers a universal 4^th of July.

Hear creatures howl, hoot, munch and chirp in the still of the night.

Blissful ferry rides, followed by hungry seagulls.

Embrace the heavy scent of a summer storm.

More writing, prose-like, poems slip though like grains of sand.

Marvel at low tide critters to be seen but not touched.

Moonlight to wake me in a blanket of fairy-dust.

Waves to lull and wash my spirit.

Appreciate concerts and museums to inspire my Venus like love.

Watch dancers perform and feel their heartbeat.

Sip a mimosa the color of sunshine.

Linger in cafés and watch people on my lunch break.

Daytrips turn into two, maybe even three.

Time will be suspended in more moments of peacefulness.

“Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly.”  ~ Pablo Neruda

I’ll pin this list to the center of my heart.

What will your bucket list be? Feel free to borrow this list, plus add what sets your soul free.

I’ll write a new one come fall.

Love elephant and want to go steady?

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Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Alex Proimos at Flickr