Your Best
Summer is the great playtime of the year . It ’ s like recess , a break from the responsibilities , except when it ’ s not .
I find myself holding this idea that summer should be FANTASTIC and FUN and SUN . But there ’ s still laundry and cooking and vacuuming . The bills keep coming and the everyday-ness of life still happens .
How can we enjoy summer for the respite that it is while still living in the real world ?
I ’ m watching calendar days fly by , and I ’ m filled with equal parts excitement and dread . Our family routines will all change in just a few short weeks when spring becomes summer .
And let ’ s not kid ourselves into thinking this starts on June 21 . No , summer starts around here the moment the kids are done with school . And it ’ s not even the last day of school . It ’ s when school responsibilities give way to school fun days and homework dwindles as afterdinner playtime extends . We ’ re close around here , and I ’ ve found one way that helps me get through it — and enjoy it .
I was inspired a few years ago when I watched a webinar by Lysa Terkeurst . It was around the time she launched her book The Best Yes ( which I highly recommend ). Everything she said made sense and I found myself nodding along , but one thing stuck with me well beyond the webinar .
She introduced the idea of choosing a word . When faced with the season ahead , she chose one word that would become her litmus test for all other things that season . I don ’ t remember what her word was , but I remember that it felt easy . It wasn ’ t one more thing on my endless lists . No , this idea brought freedom .
I thought about it and realized that I couldn ’ t come up with one word , so I came up with three : family , books
10 | ST JOHNS PARENT M A G A Z I N E