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How to Tap Into the Joy of Childhood Summer as a Grown-Up
As busy, anxious adults, is it possible to relive those carefree days?
Summer as an adult is not quite like summer as a kid. I spent part of my summer days on chores, but mostly, I sat around and watched TV, read books, and hung out with friends. We’d splash around in the sprinklers. Or we’d go on long bike rides into the forest with some made-up goal in mind — let’s find a haunted house! — only as a pretense to have an adventure. We were along for the ride. Even then, I realized this time was limited. I remember propping up my tan legs on the old box TV in front of a Charles In Charge rerun and thinking, “This is the life.”
A few years later, I entered the working world. Then I went to college, then I started a career. And summer vacations would never be the same. Sure, I take time off and travel the world — which brings its own kind of joy — but there’s something different about the carefree, go-nowhere-and-do-nothing summer vibe of childhood. Back then, without a car or money, there wasn’t much you could do but live in the moment.
I look for ways to recreate that feeling as an adult. It’s a playful feeling. When I interviewed positive play coach Jeff Harry, he defined play as something you do that brings you joy and also doesn’t have a bottom…
