Summer was a big deal for me growing up. No, I wasn’t flying to Hawaii or going off to camp for two months. I knew I was on a much-needed break where I would be doing fun stuff, though. July is probably when it felt most like summer. By that point, I’d been out of school for several weeks, I’d finished the annual dance recital, and there was still time for family vacations, my birthday, and summer reading (which I admittedly liked sometimes).

I remember writing a poem about summer. I remember listening to summer songs. Swimming in the pool, going to the beach, enjoying Florida’s variety of water parks, or staying inside to watch movies and Disney Channel marathons.

It wasn’t so hard to let out a sigh of relief and enjoy the sunshine. It was nice to be a kid, run around in the sprinklers, and not have adult problems to burst my bubble. Seemingly endless days of t-shirts, shorts and flip flops stretched before me. And I needed that attire because it was really hot outside.

Remember tie-dying t-shirts? Remember hand-making your own jewelry? My mom kept a stock of beads in our art cabinet and would sit at the kitchen table helping my sister and me make bracelets and necklaces for ourselves or our friends.

Weeks of whole, beautiful days where I could swim, make crafts, sing my favorite songs, eat lunch in front of the TV, write stories, and get extra sleep…I’d sign up for that today!

At Past Foot Forward, we’re in summer mode. Join us here on the blog or on Instagram as we relive vacation sitcom episodes, summer DCOMs, and beachy songs that make us feel good now, just like they did years ago.