I know there’s a lot of shake and bake going on in our nation and our entire planet right now, but let’s get right down to the point: you have only one life to live to make life useful. Wouldn’t it be good to spend summer months by taking control of doing what you fully desire?
Maybe you’d like to travel. I wish I did, except I don’t drive a car and I have little time to spare for doing any traveling even if it takes five minutes from home to set foot on a city park.
It’s funny why, at this seasonal phase of 2025, everybody’s gotta go out and protest a hot button political issue that needs a quick fix, which isn’t likely to happen anytime soon if history is any indication. I watched all the video clips of all the unnecessary roughness going on in our big cities and come to wonder why we have nothing useful and peaceful to do in our daily lives. This is not the sort of escapism we really need at this crucial moment. If only society wasn’t supposed to be grim like this, then we’d have a tall order of unicorns, Care Bears and Hello Kitty all over the place.
Summer, for me, is not going in that incessant direction. Period.
Surely, you have something different in mind when it comes to surviving the blistering heat of summer. These people just want to “join the crowd” and stage a ruckus where fear-inducing images and videos look sensational on a cable news channel. And that, my fair friends, is counterproductive to the values of how to spend your summer when drinking a glass of lemonade and buying a Nutty Buddy from the ice cream truck are the sort of feel-good occasions we can all really share and pass down to future generations.
Here’s the best solution to make your summer feel great again: don’t follow the crowd.
My suggestions are very clear and succinct. In fact, this sort of positive thinking goes all the way back to simpler times during Eisenhower when American families took special care of each other, even when there was a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on (pardon the great Jerry Lee Lewis).
It’s important to find the best time to do your summer planning. For starts, go out and have an early morning walk at a nearby city park while the weather isn’t scorching hot. I know I struggle to let myself loose out of the house these days, so I let a longtime buddy of mine provide transportation aid to reach for my designated places. Parks and walking trails are among the most useful because you have the opportunity to keep your blood flowing by doing some sort of healthy physical activity. Best of all, they’re an escape from misery and melancholy. I recommend parks with rivers and lakes as a backdrop… there’s plenty of where I come from. Take pictures. Feed the ducks. Catch a fish. Have a small picnic. Just remember to stay on guard with bug juice and sunscreen. If you sweat too much, bring some deodorant, a bath towel and an extra shirt handy.
If you ever go out on a road trip and notice these charming little country stores that sell produce, ham biscuits and other locally sourced foods, then make a run for them. It’s possible that these local establishments may serve lunch and dinner with its built-in restaurant hospitality while offering some antique goods in store plus a host of other surprises. They might also offer free samples of unique food items to taste. Out here in a section of southeast Virginia bordering the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions, there’s a fair amount of shops that sell Virginia peanuts because it’s the ideal agricultural hotspot in the South. You’ll be paying a lot, but it also means you’re supporting local and that means a whole lot.
City-run farmers markets, on the other hand, are excellent places to get a glimpse of everything locally produced and sourced. It’s the very best of summer traditions. While produce is a hallmark of healthy living, other vendors might sell baked goods, smoked sausages and other non-food curiosities. Once again, you’re supporting local farms and businesses to show your love of community. Just be aware of the crowd potential as these often take place on Saturdays because it feels like an annual county fair without the rides.
If you want to add serious shopping to your summer list, it’s easy to go to small-box retailers like Dollar General, which are the perfect stop-shop-and-go experiences for any traveler. Bargain hunting is order of the day, and you’d be surprised about the products you see. Roses, Ollie’s, or similar discount / closeout stores are also good alternatives, albeit more square footage of inventory. Don’t get too infatuated by Walmarts because their savvy promotions and tempting amounts of merch will make you spend your money all for nothing… not to mention lack of crowd control in these triple-XL spaces.
Don’t go to the beach on your next summer vacation unless you can find one that isn’t a certified tourist trap. I’m talking Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Rockaway Beach, Wherever Beach, The more crowded it gets, the more pain it inflicts, and that’s very unpleasant. When there’s sand, everything goes with the territory and that means you get an overpopulation of tourists. You’re likely going to be wasting away gobs of cash in Margaritaville on comfort foods and parking meters. Worst of all, the noise level and bad behavior is extreme and criminal activity is all over the place. I would also have to add Disney World and every other theme park with long lines to the list as well — I’m not even thinking about Water Country USA at this very hour because I might get injuries from colliding bodies with bad toenail jobs sliding down the tube. Spectacle is an illusion and it comes with a costly price tag plus added misery.
I know it’s going to be hot, sweaty and miserable outside, but face the truth that you’re gonna have to mow the lawn and/or weedeat portions of it somehow, because grass grows inches by the day under the conditions of morning dew and humidity combined. And it’s going to be awfully messy with clods of grass clippings left behind. If ever you want to grab some extra dollars by knocking on a few doors asking to be The Lawnmower Man on your summer job schedule, now is the time. Be prepared to drink up plenty of ice cold fluids for the effort — I recommend plain water because Dr. Peppers will get you nowhere. At least be very proud of yourself for not being sedentary all day.
There should be a town nearby with historical significance that offers main attractions. Best of all, it’s money-saving and potentially trouble-free when compared to Disney World and Caribbean cruises. My favorite place to go is historic downtown Edenton, NC (60 miles south of my house, but that’ll do) where you can view the sights of the Albemarle Sound that flows quite afar — it’s almost as if you’re looking straight at an ocean without boundaries. Unique towns and villages are virtually everywhere you go, and are worth stopping by once in a while.
Most importantly, if there are amenities within ten miles from your doorstep, take full advantage of a ‘staycation’ opportunity. And if you’re lucky to live in the mountains, it’s your best chance to explore nature. It’s not surprising to find an increasing number of Mexican restaurants pop up all around you these days, if you have an empty stomach. These establishments can equally serve top quality dinners and cuisines like other premium eateries from mega miles away. If you live a hop and skip away from a retail strip, excellent! The bottom line is what you have in your neighborhood is the same like most other destinations much further away — even upper-crust localities with fancy places serving high-income clientele is like putting lipstick on a pig… just more of the same.
And here is one last thing to help make your summer go great again. Find the best time to marvel at all the bunny rabbits chasing around in wide open spaces. I’ve watched them in packs of twos or threes, so grab your phone, start filming, and make this moment a part of your summer story.
So, what I have written here is a summer vacation planner and survival guide in perspective, and it’s meant to provide efficiency and some semblance of control in your life. Hopefully, it’ll work for you because every day is madness when it comes to the sizzling summer spells. Spending my youth long ago doing road trips and elements of unsurpassed summer moments was worth remembering, and that is a tradition I continue to keep.
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