By Amelia Lowry
“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.”- Bob Dylan
My great-grandparents met when my great-grandfather rode a motorcycle past my great-grandmother, who was taking a stroll with her mother. When he saw her, he knew she was the one he’d spend the rest of his life with. My great-grandfather stood up on his motorcycle (I wasn’t even an egg yet, so there’s no way to know for sure, but I like to imagine he was sort of proud, with his hands on his hips and his shoulders back) and my great-grandmother’s mom turned to her and said: “You can never marry a boy like that.”
Sometimes I think about the stories I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren (or, if the whole starting-a-family thing doesn’t work out, the stories I’ll be able to tell my six tiny snakes). I want to have crazy stories about my teenage-years. More importantly, I want to experience things. I don’t want to be at a disadvantage just because my generation has faster access to entertainment — I want to get up and go just as much as my parents did and their parents before them. And while there’s no time like the present, let’s face it: there’s just more time to do stuff in the summer.
So, if you’re like me in the sense that you want your coming-of-age years to be as grand and unforgettable as possible, here’s a giant list of 20 ideas to make your summer something for the books.
- Keep a journal! Of course your summer will be something for the books if you record your summer in a book. Thisaway, when you’re sad in the winter because you miss the hot weather, you can pull that baby out and reminisce. Also, there’s something about a used journal that just makes me !!!
- Put on some funny clothes and go rollerskating. Here: some inspiration.
- What’s a summer without camping? A bummer, that’s what.
- Or, if you’re not an outdoorsy kinda person, don’t bug out! I see a blanket fort in your future.
- There’s so much free time in the summer, so naturally, it’s a great time to adopt a new hobby. Cooking is always a good one because if you don’t eat, you’ll die, but there’s also knitting, or gardening, or the arts (ha!).
- If you live in Washington County, I’m willing to wager that there are times you aren’t the proudest of your small town. But since you can’t change everything, research the most touristy spots in your town and check them out! Try to see where you come from with a different point of view: from someone who wants to be there.
- Alternatively, sometimes you just live in the middle of a cornfield any way you slice it. But do not fret! There are some super neat places in the tri-state area. Shepherdstown is a delight, and there’s something for everyone: a book store, a small theater, a fairy store. If you’re the singing type or even if you just like to watch, the Blue Moon Café has an open mic night every Wednesday at 9 o’clock and it’s quite a time. (And if you haven’t already been, the Lost Dog Café has great coffee and a super great atmosphere. Unless you’re easily frightened by stickers — then you must run far, far away.)
- Go to a concert! Local or not, you can never go wrong with a good ‘ole hip-hoppin’ family-fun. Unless it’s a band you don’t like, and then you may not have a very nice time.
- Make a soundtrack for your summer! Whenever you’ll hear those songs in the future,
they’ll make you think of nice stuff. - Find a dirt-filled spot, spray some water on it, and you’ve got your own mudpit! Do you love feeling like you’re covered in chalk? Then mudpits are the thing for you!
- Go swimming in the river and pretend your life is a scene from an old country movie!
- You’ve probably got a little basket or bag around your house somewhere — make some sandwiches and hit the road! Have a picnic somewhere new. (Extra points if you invite me!)
- Trampoline. Park. You must. Go. Bounce.
- Get a bunch of your friends to dress up like you’re all from Grease and go to a drive-in movie! It’s a requirement to dress up like you’re from Grease, because otherwise, you might as well go watch an indoor movie.
- In general, do stuff that scares you! It’s summertime, and this is the best time to change and grow because you don’t have an audience. Remember that it’s perfectly OK if something doesn’t happen like you think it will — what matters is that you try. You don’t want to be stuck in the same place forever, do you? I don’t think so!
- Take a train somewhere!
- So, you know how sometimes when you’re listening to music, you’ll look outside the window of the car and pretend you’re in a movie? What if you made a little dumb hipster montage of a day in the life of YOU? You could add in a little song, too, then you’ll basically have a you-themed version of Submarine.
- Wat-er was that? Did someone say “
watergun fight”? More like water-fun fight. - Have a bonfire and make s’mores! *POST SCRIPT MAGAZINE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OUT OF CONTROL FIRES FUELED BY THIS SUGGESTION*
- Lastly and not leastly, wake up early and watch the sunrise. Start your day off appreciating something you probably don’t see very often!
Don’t spend your whole summer inside your house not doing anything. What kind of a story is that? “Yes, my grandchildren, when I was a young whippersnapper like yourself, my Tumblr was especially aesthetic. There were gradients all over the place. It was wild.” Figure out what everyone means when they say that these are the best years of your life. As Hannah Montana once said, “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock!”
Amelia Lowry is a Sophomore at Barbara Ingram
Post Script Magazine. 