summertime

Written by Joana Kim

“Here it is the groove slightly transformed 

Just a bit of a break from the norm

Just a little somethin’ to break the monotony

Of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be 

A little bit out of control...”

• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Summertime)

In all the madness and groove of summer, it feels as if I just recently looked at the calendar for the first time in a month, and saw that it was almost already nearing the end of July. These days I find that it’s easy to describe how a week has gone by with either statement: “Wow, time went by so fast!” or “The week felt so long.” The truth is, there is a lot that takes place in a week - even during the summer break. Despite there still being work to do and errands to run, it can often feel like everything is moving in a summer haze - not described by length of time or how fast or slow the days feel - but explained loosely by how the days seem to run on a type of time: summertime. Days can seem repetitive, exciting, or perhaps somewhere in the middle. But with August creeping up in the next corner, the fact of recognition is that there is another month of summer, or only a month of summer left. Whatever it may feel like for you, I hope that we can still find moments during the day to enjoy before a new session of school or work starts, and break out of any feelings of monotony that might prevent us from being expectant of what is to come. Here are summer activities that you can (still) take up while we all have the summertime! 

Things that You Can (Still) Do During the Summer 

1. Visit the library, and make (or renew) a library card. 

I have been to the library before the pandemic - in fact, as any student can probably relate, to libraries. But to go there with the plan of doing anything but take up space to do school work? Growing older, I’ve become more accustomed to the study facilities that public libraries offer rather than the actual books and reading spaces available. Now, having visited the library after it opened up again, it’s as if I only happened to notice after an extended period of time that there was another activity I could choose to do in full abundance than (try) to do work; it was, literally, right in front of my eyes along with the associated smell of paper under my nose. With the sheer existence of a library card once having been nothing more than a childhood memorabilia, being more aware that I have the opportunity to explore and borrow books (especially) during the summer - and for free - has been a realization marked with irony. Emphasis on the free (or an additional $2.00 to renew your dusting library card, like mine was). 

2. Organize and/or upgrade your workspace. 

WFH has added a new element to our living quarters - might it be a bedroom, office, or another location at home. The leftover time of summer helps provide the perfect momentum to give your workspace an upgrade. It’s out with the old and in with the new: after becoming well-acquainted with the less comfortable nooks and crannies of your home workspace doing online school or work, it may be time for your study to pick up some new and improved ergonomic features to be your supportive friend all year round, or upgrade simply to a more organized space. A laptop stand, a keyboard, keyboard rest, desk organizers, and a footrest are personally some of the things that I can attest to or am interested in using to improve the ergonomics of a workspace environment. In terms of where you can look into potentially purchasing new supplies, Amazon and local dollar stores are more accessible places that I found have a wide variety of appliances to improve workspace organization and comfort. 

3. Clean out your devices. 

Every time I finish a school year, there is a clutter of leftover school documents and files that accumulate to a significant portion of my computer’s used storage. And thinking ahead to the upcoming year’s coursework, there’s no doubt that the same will occur. Putting items into the computer trash, organizing files on your laptop in labelled folders for your courses and various projects, or obtaining a hard drive for excess storage can all be effective ways to prepare for a clutter-free virtual workspace! Both yourself and your computer will thank you during a busy season of classes, where time (and sufficient computer storage) is of the essence. 

4. Start a passion project. 

You might have heard of how starting a project or task is the hardest part of it, that “well-begun is half-done”, or another quote likened to it. Amongst the variations, these sayings all emphasize one thing in common: the start of anything is critical. Without a start, there would be no results of any kind, and the same also goes for personal hobbies or passions. The summer break can be a timely season to pursue a hobby or project that you’ve kept in the back of your head but never put into fruition or knew how to start. Big or small, taking a budding personal passion one step forward can be a fun and rewarding way to spend time - often without having to spend a huge investment in resources or money. And this can also be dependent on whatever topic of interest you may have at the moment. Some interesting ones I’ve found include growing your own ingredients or flowers in a community garden near your home, creating a mini-vlog of your day, learning how to play a song on an instrument, launching your own personal blog, or writing a short story. At the end of the day, even if no one will see or hear it, you’ll have grown a little bit wiser and experienced in an area of interest without the external pressure of it having to amount up to anything specific. And you'll have done so when you have more time to learn and actively progress. 

5. Make a summer mini bucket list, or a spreadsheet. 

Whenever I need to suddenly decide on a new restaurant to visit, show to watch, or book to read, a small phenomenon occurs. Nothing comes to mind - although I could’ve been sure I had at least a couple of decent ideas. A simple solution, if this is something you might also be able to relate to, is to make a spreadsheet. Patios you want to visit during the summer, new desserts you want to try out, or TV shows and books to watch during leisure time - the range of potential activities to take related inventory of can go on. The trick is to think of it as a mini summer bucket list, so that whenever the opportunity comes, there will be no more wasted time spent on age-old debates or indecision regarding where to eat or what to watch. Secondly, after having checked something off your listing, you can write a small note or personal review to keep in mind when someone asks for a recommendation and you forget how good - or less than decent - an experience may have turned out to be. Not only will you become a go-to sage for activities/restaurants around the area, it can remind you to make the most out of the rest of the summer now in little ways, especially on days that seem like time is speeding by a bit quicker than before.

Summertime may look different for everyone with various commitments, responsibilities, and schedules. For those starting a new school semester this fall and/or a new position at work, feelings and thoughts of stress, uncertainty, or even excitement may emerge with upcoming events. But by breaking into this open-ended list myself, I hope the last days of summer will serve as ones that give us “just a lil somethin to break the monotony,” because as the lyrics continue to remark, even monotony can become something that grows to be “a little bit out of control.”