“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August,” wrote Jenny Han in the summer trilogy, ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’, and we couldn’t agree more. While there is no end to lamenting the sun, heat and the humidity, it is the best time of the year when summer inevitably means vacation. And vacation spells holidays abroad or staycations that are all about indulging the lazy bones with good food, short trips to the mountains, DIY crafts and loads of reading and movie watching.
As a child, wasn’t summer all that and more?
But somewhere along the growth line, the sun and the summer heat took away all things fun to create a seasonal complaint box filled with laments such as ‘this-is-the-hottest-year’, ‘you-could-fry-an-egg-on-the-car-bonnet’, ‘too-hot-to-go-out’… The laments and complaints were all that remained. Beach and parks became unfriendly zones, with malls and hypermarkets turning into attractive summer haunts.
While peak summer months are definitely ruled out for all things outdoors, August is more welcoming, with the coming weeks acting as a precursor for the pleasant winter months. With most schools in the capital still on vacation mode, this is the month to give summer a fitting finale with camps, games, dine outs and shopping sprees. And, if you like nothing better than to laze around, it is the month to read all the books on your must-read shelf and watch movies that have been begging you to spare time.
If you are serious about putting fun back into summer, plan out your August itinerary and make time for the activities that you have left on the backburner for long. Switching off your Smartphone, even if it is for a couple of hours, would help.
Here are a few things that could help blend summer with fun along with a bit of sun:
Become a tourist
The idea is to become a tourist in your own town. Find out little nooks and corners where you have never ventured before. Visit the local landmarks and learn about the history behind them to feel more attuned to your town. Make time to visit the art museums to enjoy the cultural vistas of the country.
Indulge the child in you
What excited you as a child may have no space in your adult life, but if you do reminisce about the games and activities that you indulged in as a child, there is no reason why you cannot do it even today. Whether it is playing hide and seek with friends or sitting on the electronic rides at the amusement park, give in to the urge and let the adrenaline rush envelope you with that special childhood glow. You could plan a board game weekend or evening with friends to add to that glow.
Learn something new
The joys of learning something – anything – new, is incomparable, if you are serious about what you are learning. If you have a bucket list of things to do, check out to see if there are local options to fulfil them. From learning a new language to a dance style, there is no dearth to options, even right here in Muscat. To make it all the more interesting, combine your overnight trip to the mountain or the desert with a constellation learning experience. You could do an online search before you venture out, to make the constellation learning a family experience. And, among all the things that you would never have thought of teaching yourself, include writing with your non-dominant hand. It is a great stress buster and a workout for your brain. Perfect things to do when the sun is fierce.
Laze away
Summer, as we said earlier, is all about lazing – a doing-nothing time. Turn your sofa into a bed and watch back to back movies. If you have space in the backyard or have a large enough balcony, put up a hammock and simply laze away in the bright sun for the last phase of 2017 summer.