My 2020 Social-Distance-Family-Friendly Summer Bucket List

It’s officially summer!

This is the time of year when I feel like I start to come alive. It honestly feels as though very specific and very necessary parts of my brain have been hibernating all fall, winter, and spring, and I wonder to myself how I got through the last 9 months without them. I mean, seriously, don’t I need those?

But then the first sounds of life creep in through an open window and the smell of barbecues and campfires waft in my general direction and suddenly I want to listen to country songs about boats at full volume and drink hard seltzers under the patio umbrella until further notice.

I ~~quite seriously~~ jokingly said to Hubs that I want to live in a place that has Connecticut’s summer climate all year long. He told me I’d need to move to a new planet to achieve that. I’d do it, if it meant I’d get to use all the parts of my brain again. And I know he’d come with me, because he’s very serious about space.

Another feeling that inevitably emerges come summer is a fresh burst of motivation to do all of the things. Enter: the summer bucket list. Is it long? Yes. Is it chock full o’ fun? Yes. Is it realistic? Meh…

Does it make me feel alive? YES! And therefore, it is worth it.

Now, this summer is very different, given that many of us are still on social lockdown, or at least trying very hard to maintain social distancing guidelines to protect ourselves and our loved ones during this pandemic. I tried to include things on my bucket list that will work in the current situation – that way I don’t set myself up for disappointment if we need to keep social distancing all summer long. I’ve been known to go to great (read: inconvenient and irrational) lengths just to cross something off of my to-do list, and I don’t feel like it would be socially or morally responsible of me to prioritize summer fun over safety, so….

Here’s a list of the things I hope to do with my family this summer that still fit within the social distancing guidelines. I tried to make them as specific as possible. I came across a bucket list online the other day that literally listed “cook” as an item. I cook every damn day thank you very much. I don’t need any help with that one. But “bake a seasonal fruit dessert”? Now that’s something I can get behind.

The ones that are crossed off? You guessed it – those are the ones I’ve already completed. Yay me! Like I said…the motivation is strong with this one. [Side note – there are other things on my list too but I prefer to keep those to myself for now… 😉 ]

Perhaps this will inspire you to create your own summer bucket list and embrace this weird life situation we all find ourselves in, rather than mourning the loss of your normal (a.k.a. pre-pandemic) summer.

Here it is. My social-distance-family-friendly summer bucket list:

Go for a hike on a local trail
~~Go camping~~
Have a proper picnic
Visit the farmer’s market (with a mask) for fresh local produce
Make ice cream sundaes and go ALL OUT
~~Make dirt dessert~~
Go kayaking
Make lemonade
Do a 1000 piece puzzle
~~Bake a seasonal fruit dessert~~
Paint a landscape al fresco (I am not a painter, but this still sounds fun and relaxing to me.)
Make fresh pasta
Go to a drive-in movie
Go for a bike ride
Make a fun yeast bread that I might not otherwise make time for, like this one!
Watch fireworks
Have a photo shoot (My 4-year-old daughter LOVES dressing up, and probably cycles through 10 outfits a day, so this one’s for her.)
Let Nora (the aforementioned 4-year-old) do my makeup (This may or may not be followed up with a very serious photo shoot for me.)
Build a sandcastle
Have a home spa day
Go swimming a lot (I live on a lake, but I don’t actually swim that much.)
Play flashlight tag
Have a squirt gun fight