Summer 2013 Bucket List

For all of you seniors going off to college in the fall and those of you who aren’t, here are twenty-five things you might enjoy doing this summer.

1. Visit Popham Beach in Phippsburg, outside of Bath. It’s a change of pace from the typical favorite, Old Orchard Beach, and there’s a homey convenience store nearby called Bisson’s Center Store that sells Capt’n Eli’s soda. I have gone to Popham since I was young and it has always been a place I can’t wait to go back to each summer.
2. Plant a garden. Though it can be a lot of work, I have found that tending to plants daily and keeping a garden clean feels great. There’s no feeling like eating something you yourself have grown from a seed. If food isn’t your jam, you could plant herbs or flowers. Even one potted plant can be a garden of its own.
3. Go bridge jumping. Regrettably, my first bridge jumping experience was not until last year, but I loved it so much that I had to recommend it. While many of you have done it, I’d wager that it’s something you’d love to do again. Just be careful of rocks. Impaling yourself on one of those is never a good thing. Rope swings are a similar treat I also suggest.
4. Take a day to go shopping. Retail therapy should never be underestimated. Treat yourself to even just one day of shopping, whether it be to buy new clothes or supplies for college or to spend a day in the cityscape with your friends. Take part in what our urban centers have to offer.
5. Go to Fielder’s Choice as often as possible. This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Everyone loves a little Fielder’s.
6. Take a trip to Portland. Portland is the busiest and most abundant place within a reasonable driving distance in Maine. The restaurants cater to any taste, no matter how quirky it may be, and it’s right by the water, with Old Orchard Beach not far away. I recommend Five Guys, just off Commercial Street, for you fast-food types who want something slightly more gourmet; the prices are low and the food comes in droves. Their burgers are great and their fries are the best around. They even have free peanuts.
7. Work a summer job. Any job experience before heading off to college is useful later on. Many colleges offer on-campus job opportunities, so previous experience would work well in that situation. Customer service skills learned at a job are also crucial to survival in college; while you may not be dealing with customers in school, you will be talking to new people all the time, so customer service skills learned prior to school translate into better people skills while at school. The money is a useful thing too, of course. Those of you not going to college can get your foot in the door by getting a summer job, and it may open opportunities for future employment.
8. Read a book. Nobody likes doing “school work” during the summer. But reading keeps the mind sharp and can help you get in the mindset for college in the fall. I’ll be reading poetry, personally (I know). Anything works. If books aren’t your thing, keep up with the news or read periodicals. Having a working understanding of our times is nothing short of necessary for our future.
9. Wash your car. I know I enjoy taking the time to wash my car when the free time is available. You may as well prep it for school if it’s going with you. Starting fresh in the fall with a newly washed car feels better than you might think.
10. Keep in touch with teachers who were instrumental in your high school experience. They’d love to hear back from you about how you’re doing and how school or work is going after the summer is over. Teachers love stuff like that. Believe me. LeBlanc has told me so.
11. Go tanning. None of that tanning bed stuff either, the real thing. Laying in the sun delivers vitamin D to the skin which will keep your body healthier, and everyone loves a good tan. I’ll be doing the same thing (even though gingers can’t technically get tan).
12. Choose specific high school work to keep and get rid of the rest. Only keep a few important artifacts from your years of high school, such as a project you were particularly proud of, awards you received, or something someone special gave to you. The rest is history. College, though to a lesser extent than high school, is a fresh start. There isn’t any reason to keep most of your high school work (unless there is an explicit need to do so).
13. Finish up your college registrations, course selections, and housing forms (if they apply to you). Even though high school may have left you tired, get right on those forms.
14. Spend time with your family. Family time may have been reduced throughout this year just so you could keep up with your workload; such was the case with me. Many of you are going away in the fall, so spend time with your family while you can. Even though you’ll probably come back during breaks and in the summers, the entry into college marks a change in the family forever. Even after coming back after freshman year, things won’t ever be the same as they are now. Enjoy the last moments of your life as it exists now with your family.
15. Play music. Instrumental or vocal, electronic or acoustic, classical or modern, listen to or play music. It is too wonderful an influence not to continue enjoying. I plan to practice often over the summer to get myself prepared for music programs in the fall, but even if your only motivation is love of music, keep playing.
16. Do some yard work. It’s honest labor, and it can be enjoyable if you think about it that way. Mowing the lawn is one of my favorite activities.
17. If you haven’t already, learn to wash your own laundry. College laundry is going to become your responsibility whether you’re ready for it or not. While you learn to do laundry, learn to cook as well. You may need it!
18. Watch a lot of movies. There are some good movies that have come out over the spring or are coming out soon. Take some friends or a date to go see a few throughout the summer. I recommend Gatsby, for one.
19. Swim. No summer is summer without swimming.
20. Play video games. There is always some sort of zombie apocalypse waiting to play out, or girl needing to be saved, or guys needing to be shot. Unwind with games you love to play, or play some new ones. You know you want to…
21. Don’t spend the summer on Facebook or Twitter! I know this post is about things to do during the summer, but this one is a don’t. Get out and enjoy the sun and fresh air every once and a while. You only get one summer to enjoy the freedom of high school without having to worry about college whatsoever. This is that one summer in between two extremes of educational responsibility.
22. Laugh, sing, dance, paint, write, create. If you’re an art lover and you want to do something, then do it. If it’s as simple as nonchalantly dancing around the room because you feel like doing it, then do it. The fact that it makes you happy is reason enough.
23. Get wet. Get muddy. Get dirty. Go for it. This is your summer. Do it the way you want to do it. Make a mess and go wild. These are times you’ll look back on for the rest of your life.
24. Get excited about whatever’s next. College, military, workforce, or otherwise, take the time to put high school behind you and focus on what’s coming. It’s a time of change, so embrace it. You have good reason to be pumped.
25. Finally, relax. You have made it through high school. Give yourself a break, and spend the summer doing what you love. This list is, of course, only a guideline, filled with things I would like to do that I also thought would appeal to others. Live it up.

Congratulations, seniors. You have completed the high school journey. It’s been hell, but it’s been unforgettable. Pat yourselves on the back, and enjoy your summer!

Featured Image: “Jumping beach people” by Giorigo Badani at flickr.com