present.

Sometimes, when I feel like time is passing me by way too quickly, I like to come up with a list of things that pretty much always make me happy, and try to incorporate them into my life to really savor and enjoy them. So with that said, here is a list of a few of my favorite summer things that make it really easy to be present and “in the moment”:

1. Twinkle lights on a warm and lazy summer night. Preferably on a back patio or pergola.
2. Fireplaces/fire pits. And for extra points, roasting marshmallows on said fire pit.
3. Just sitting in the sun on a lawn or pool chair, or even better, a cushioned outdoor swing. Feeling the hot rays beating down on your skin, and your skin seeming to actively soak up all that delicious vitamin D (with proper protection of course). And the sun so bright, you can see it through your closed eyes.
4. A refreshing caramel frappuccino on a warm summer day.
5. Going for a quick swim at the pool (even though my version of swimming is a back float and the occasional doggy paddle.)
6. A bike ride through a gorgeously green bike trail.
7. Going on a walk in perfect 75 degree (fahrenheit) weather (with a delicious breeze) and discovering places I never knew existed before, right in my own neighborhood. (Trespassing anyone?)
8. The smell of a barbeque, even if it isn’t my own.
9. Watching kids play outside, sans technology, and just running around, cuz they’ve been waiting all winter long for this exact moment.
10. Waiting for my untannable skin to turn an ever so slightly darker shade of pale white.
11. Wearing bright jewelry, makeup colors, nail polish, and choosing all the fun fruity scents for perfume.
12. Lighting a candle in the background, preferably one with aforementioned fruity, summery scents.
13. Having a glass of some ice cold Moscato D’asti, even though it’s probably not even considered alcohol, it makes me feel more grown up, because it technically has 5%.
14. Browsing through the patio furniture section at Target, and dreaming of what my backyard will look like one day.
15. When the air conditioning in my car finally reaches that exact temperature I was dreaming about just moments before.
16. The pitter patter of a summer rainstorm on my bedroom windows, complete with lightning and thunder…most appreciated at night just when I’ve just begun to feel sleepy.
17. The fresh smell of the earth, and the deep green of the leaves after a rainstorm, like I live in a rainforest, and my suburban surroundings are suddenly transformed into nature at its finest.
18. The fact that I don’t have to think about putting on layer after layer just to go outside.
19. Sandles and the freedom they allow my usually covered toes.
20. The long shabbatot where I’m forced away from tech and allow myself to get engrossed in some good ‘ole summer reading.
21. My birthday and all the fun surprises that come along with it.
22. Heading out to the beach, building sandcastles, and dipping our feet in the water all day.
23. The nighttime glow of lightning bugs, and the calming sound of grasshoppers; each one bringing its own kind of wonder and harmony to the world and those in it.
24. Lying on the grass on a clear warm night, staring up at the stars, and thinking about how small we are in this vast universe that surrounds us.
25. Fireworks and sparklers and all things fourth of July. Happy 4th, by the way! (Noticing a theme of any and all types of light? (Minus fluorescent school/industrial lights..I’m pretty much light-obsessed.)

Hope you enjoy your summer as much as I enjoyed writing this list.

XOXO,

Nehama