Seven Summertime Tidings

If you ever lived through the biting winds, icy shivers, and numb-fingered winters of the Midwest, then you know how to appreciate these newfound spring days. With the air newly abloom with sacred warmth, I thought I would conjure up a few adventurous ideas to inspire your spontaneous side to rise to the challenge of having fun outdoors! We’re done watching movies and drinking hot chocolate inside. ‘Tis time to rise up and meet the sunshine!

1. 

   Photo from: http://skyelikesit.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/summertime1

   Climb a tree. You could read a book up there, or maybe you could bring a notebook and do some people-watching.
2. Meditate or do yoga under a tree (I find these activities immensely easier when I’m outside). Or in a pasture. If you want to take a slightly different route, hold an outdoor séance with a few friends.
3. Go camping. Try to find someplace slightly less crowded. Personally, I think crowded campsites ruin the atmosphere. Fall asleep under the stars.
4. Play Tag, Hide-and-seek, or Sardines in the dark with some friends. Or my favorite, lava monster. (That’s when everyone runs around on a play-set and tries to avoid the one person on the ground who tags someone who then becomes the next lava monster)
5. Work in a garden. (For Kirksville residents, I’d recommend looking into the Kirksville Permaculture Education Center or the Communiversity Garden, which meets Thursdays in MG 1096 and generally does garden work on Saturday mornings/early afternoons)
6. Grab some paints (or make your own milk paint to avoid chemical vapors), brushes, a surface of some sort, and find a sunny hilltop.
7. Visit an intentional community or eco-village in your area. With the sun out, they are now in visitor-accepting mode and will probably give you a tour over a weekend if you call ahead. Lean about alternative and often sustainable living. For Kirksville, look into the Possibility Alliance or Dancing Rabbit. Here’s a directory of all the communities in Missouri.