Fading Summertime Blues

“There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues,” according to a 90’s Alan Jackson hit. Remedies are out there. Keep the blues away with a dose of your brand of joy and keep the music revved up. Here is a sampling of my fading summer blues cures.

1.Find a comfortable seat, yank out the junk drawer and rummage through it. Every so often you need a reminder of the contents - all those odds and ends forgotten till the very one is needed that you would have discarded weeks ago, if it weren’t for that drawer.

2.Make a root beer float. I know, I know, sugar and carbs and fat and all that. If you can’t splurge on one, make it with diet soda and low fat vanilla yogurt. Once you add the cool whip and cherry, your taste buds might not know the difference. A cool nostalgic treat!

3.Take your car to an automatic car wash. A shiny car lifts the spirits. While you are watching the suds, sprays and sponges, a place to go in the sparkling clean ride might come to mind.

4.Fix your favorite breakfast and eat it on the dishes you normally save for company. Mine are cobalt blue, a bright way to greet a promising day!

5.Revisit a locale you wanted more time to explore - that market, a book store or the country creek that beckoned you more than it did your traveling party. Now is your chance to investigate at your own speed.

6.Attend a regular meeting of a club or organization you don't belong to. It might be a good fit, and the transition from guest to member could be challenging and fun.

7.Friendships new and old benefit from allotted time. Enjoy late-night beverage breaks to share stories and chuckles, catch up over a meal in a favorite eatery or leave the world behind for a mini road trip.

8.Jump genres in your movie viewing and book reading. Take a chance on an adventure thriller or a romantic comedy, whatever isn’t your usual pick at the movies or the lubrary. I hate loud noises and fast, scary scenes, but I loved, loved “Avengers: Endgame.” If fiction is your preferred reading, try some incredible non-fiction. It’s out there.

9.Turn off the TV. Use that recording gizmo to watch favorite shows later rather than plan time around the tube. If you are like me, you discover that you don’t make the effort to watch later, anyway. TV can be a motivation thief.

10.Serve, volunteer, pitch in. Doniphan is blessed with outlets that serve. See a need and help in a way that only you can. Random acts of kindness can’t be beat even in late summer heat. They lift the spirits of all involved.

Autumn awaits, but there is still time for summertime celebrations.