Wisdom Begins With Wonder

This summer, I'm going to be fun. I'm going to drag myself out of bed on weekends and explore the world. In my dining room there is a canvas with an awesome green tree that says: "Wisdom begins with wonder." love that. I need it. I could use some more wonder. I'm going to do new things and repeat old favorite happy summer things. Learn new things. Make new friends and spend time with old ones. Make memories. Be occasionally, appropriately childish.

I'm not going to hibernate. My mood lately defaults to hibernate. And it doesn't help that DC is a terrible, wonderful place to spend the summer. Why didn't our forefathers have the insight not to build the nation's capital in a humid swampland? Didn't they know about the misery of wearing business attire in a swamp?

Still though, there are a million fun things to do here and near. I'm going to do them ALL. Ok, fine that's crazy talk. I'm going to do some of them though. I'm going to pry myself away from my friend the box fan and his favorite Uncle AC and live life in places where sun shines and sweaty humanity smiles at each other and lives and learns and wonders (and tries not to stick to one another.)

I picknicked today. And last weekend. And hopefully again. Maybe at Roosevelt Island? I haven't been back since a visit shortly before I moved here. Crazy...

Host a movie night - projected in my backyard. Complete with home popped popcorn and really cold drinks... Exciting new development: my neighbors (whose wall I project on) painted their house. This is excellent. You can't project on red brick, but you can project on putty colored brick. No convincing a stand to stay up in wood chips. No trying desperately with considerable tape to make a sheet stay up. I love my new neighbors! Additionally, they're totally friendly and have already spoken to me FAR more than the others did in a full 2 years. I should totally invite them over to watch a movie on their wall. It only seems fair...

Camping. For real. In a tent. I just need a tent. Anybody have a tent I can borrow? I think I want my own tent actually... Where am I going to keep a tent? Hmm. There's just a little more space under my bed... Also I  need mosquito spray. This is possibly more important than the tent...

Fire. And food on a stick in the fire. Hot dogs. Marshmallows lit on fire and blown out black? Yes. (I have zero patience.)

Agua fresca. Watermelon? Canteloupe? Strawberry? Yes and yes and yes. I tried this last summer and it should be a tradition. Yay. 

Not get a(nother) ridiculous sunburn I always do this. I don't burn that quickly. I almost always bring sunscreen. I almost never put it on. Dumb. I'm grown. I need to grow on out of this stupidity.

Roll down a real hill. I warmed up on a mound last weekend apparently. I'll have to get the hill police to approve a real hill for me it seems...

Beach! Virginia Beach? Delaware? Somewhere... Walking. Napping. Reading. Maybe sand castle building? 

Take a top down, hair in the wind, music far too loud, roadtrip.

Write my name in sparklers.

Homemade popsicles. Someone told me about red wine and chocolate popsicles recently. Fruitiness will also definitely happen. I think red wine & chocolate must also be tested though...

Stroll through some pleasantly chilly, not yet visited museum on a hot, humid DC afternoon. I should probably save this for August. I feel like I'll have plenty of days to choose from though. It was already 105 one day this week. Help!

Fly a kite. Blow bubbles. Throw water balloons. Do cartwheels (is this even still possible?). Spin around in circles until the world spins. Play. Summer is the most appropriate time to reclaim a little childhood.

Ok, that's a reasonable start to the list. I don't want to get out of control. Better to overachieve than fail when it comes to fun.

Bring on the wonder.