How-To Tuesday: How to Survive Summer

 

 

Most people love summer. I hate it. For three very simple reasons: hornets, heat, and humidity. Those three H’s are nightmarish enough to make me wish us humans had some strange form of summer hibernation. I’d love to sleep through the season and wake up just when the air starts to cool. 

 

Unfortunately, that’s not possible. If you, like me, feel like summer’s nemesis, here are five things that can help you survive the next few months:

 

Sunscreen! Every publication goes on and on about sunscreen. It’s annoying. But they have a point. The only way to successfully survive the summer is to battle the sun. Sure, shade, sunglasses, and loose-fitting clothing can help, but sunscreen is the ultimate shield. My partner is allergic to the sun and even he doesn’t wear sunscreen on most days. This year, listen to the magazine articles you usually skip over.

 

Books! I’d roll over and quit every day of the summer if it weren’t for finding the perfect summer reads. Sitting on a balcony with iced coffee and a book is the only decent summer day (seriously). Choose shorter books to read in the summer, stories that you can get through in one afternoon.

 

They’re the perfect escape from the hellish weather. Need some recommendations? The Great Gatsby, Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and The Turn of the Screw are all short novels/novellas that will keep your interest for just long enough. Short story collections are also perfect for reading on summer vacation.

 

Television! It’s too easy to forget the days of the week in the summertime when you don’t have TV shows to keep you in line. Now that every major network is on a break, take some time to binge-watch shows you’ve been meaning to watch for forever. Pick something with way too many seasons and use it as an excuse to hide from the season. Close the curtains, turn off all the lights, and you’ll soon forget that it’s even summer. Enjoy your re-watch of a decade of Friends.

 

Water! This is quite possibly the only good thing to come from summer. Jump into a body of water! Drink water! Throw water balloons! Have a water gun battle! Hell, just wander down the street and run through your neighbors’ sprinklers.

 

Libraries! Your local library is the best place in the summertime. Libraries have air conditioning. Surround yourself with all those wonderful, free-to-read books and escape the heat. Libraries also have amazing programs throughout the summer months: take a class and learn something new or join a bookclub!

 

Keep your days busy and summer will be over before you know it.

 

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