Things we’ll do this month: August

A month that begins with a holiday. Now, that is a good sign.

Goal setting is fun. It’s great motivation to sit down and hash out the things we want to do and fantasize about the roads that will take us there. When we talk about goals, we talk about money and career and real estate and competition, but we rarely talk about good, old-fashioned leisure. Starting this month, I am going to publish a list of things I would like to do during the month ahead. Of course, this list doesn’t take the place of all of my standard goals related to health, wellness, money and spirituality, but I reserve the right to, in some cases, blur the lines.

But first, here are a few things that I love about August:

• This is the real heart of the summer. July was a warm-up, but August is where it’s really at. It’s when it feels the hottest, but also when we know we’re over the hump. It makes the heat a lot easier to enjoy knowing that it’s going to get cooler before it gets hotter again.
• We begin to see the start of back to school season. I mean both the shopping and the general vibe. The end of August/beginning of September really lends all of us the feeling of a new and fresh start. Like New Year’s Day, but warmer. It’s been a longer than I’d care to think about since I went back to school, but this is probably the time of year when I feel most nostalgic.
• Stationery. This is the back to school shopping thing I mentioned. I’m hooked on paper and pens and other supplies that so many people gave up the minute they finished their classes. Not me. Also, plaid skirts, comfy sweaters and fall boots.
• Fall TV ads. This is sometimes the only time that we can believe a show is going to be really awesome, that star we used to love is going to make a comeback (I’m looking at you, Kevin James) and change the way we watch television. Also, it’s a little bit amazing that there is still a tradition of starting TV shows in the fall. Maybe we should enjoy it while it lasts.
• It’s almost football season! Come kick-off on opening day, my attention span is short, but the lead-up to the season gets me really pumped. Blame the Falcons for its short endurance.

I don’t know about other workplaces, but August is about as laid back as mine gets. With a fairly large (I think) peer group, each week is a different combination of people coming in and out of the game since this is the most popular month for vacation. Things definitely slow down in the bureaucratic sense and there’s a little bit more fun to be had. That’s kind of true for all aspects of midsummer life, I find. People are generally more go-with-the-flow-y and just kind of chill a lot of the time. I can definitely deal with that.

Now, here it is. Drumroll, please…things we (or, in some cases, I) will do this month:

• Swim in a lake
• Swim in the ocean
• Swim in a pool
• Meditate daily
• Maintain my *new* gratitude journal (and #AwesomeAugust posts)
• Can peaches
• Make pad thai
• Ombre dye t-shirts
• Plant fall veggies
• Have a picnic
• Paint my nails
• Reread The Happiness Project
• Road trip to Nanaimo

When I asked Kevin, he added a few of his own:

• Ride bikes
• Go for a run
• Bowl

What do you love about August? And what’s on your to-do list this month? Do you ever take time to set fun goals instead of just serious ones?