The Summer of George

The day after tomorrow is Monday: the first day of my summer holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to work (luckily this is done from home), but it’s the end of the school year rat race, and I’m exhausted.

I often start planning my summer holiday months in advance...booking lessons and classes for the kids, scheduling my workout routine and disciplined new eating regime that is supposed to have me unrecognizably lean and fit by fall, researching family swim time at the local pool, and coordinating weekend getaways to water parks in Niagara Falls. But this year something is different.

For some reason, this year I just couldn’t get my ass in gear for my usual pre-summer organizing. The last day of school was two days ago, and I have nothing on the books for the next two months. Nothing. And I have two kids, two dogs and me to entertain... But as I wind down from the craziness of the last school-hurrah parties, field trips and jiu jitsu belt ceremonies, a strange feeling has settled over me: calm. And I’ve decided, George Costanza-style, to spend the summer doing the opposite of what we would normally do. Which means: no plans, no schedules, no classes or lessons – and hopefully – NO STRESS!

I realize that a week from now I may be climbing the walls in boredom, with my kids at each other’s throats and me ready to jump out the nearest window...but until then, I think I am going to attempt to thrown caution to the wind and live on the edge. I’m thinking: spontaneous bike rides. Last-minute day trips to the beach on Georgian Bay. Strawberry picking. Reading books on the porch. Sprinklers. Oops...hold on, I’m starting to plan here. But you get the picture...lazy days and fun adventures that we don’t know we’re going to do until we decide to do them.

I think a good dose of nothing is just what the doctor ordered for all of us.

I’ll let you know how it goes.