Making the Most of Summer – and Your Relationships

As we slowly return to “normal” vacations, what lessons have we learned to help us better utilize our time? Do you remember the summer of 2019? It was, by most measures, a traditional summer, and – little did we know – the last “normal” summer we’d have for almost three years. In the summer of 2020, COVID was peaking in much of the country. Some of us were emerging from lockdowns while others were heading into new ones to control the virus. For many, that summer was just a chance to be outside, out of the confines of our homes, and to breathe fresh air in the warmth of the sun. That’s about as far as we could go. Last summer, we encouraged you, our community, to make the most of the season. The Delta variant had begun to take root. We were planning predominately road-trip vacations since many of us were still leery of taking our families on public transportation such as planes, trains, or cruise ships. We loved hearing from you, reading our newsletter about road trips, as you yourselves were mid-trip. In fact, one of Jim’s friends had taken his annual road trip with his brother and sister-in-law. To our delight, his sister-in-law had printed a copy of our road trip Celebrations Pulse letter to spark conversation along the way. Hearing this made our day! The warm weather afforded us the opportunity to have some distanced outdoor fun. Jim especially enjoyed hosting a pizza lunch in his backyard for his grandchildren. They loved making their pizzas in Papa’s new pizza oven. Those of you who are lucky enough to live near the ocean enjoyed summer sailing, swimming, and evening beach walks. Others tended to vegetable and flower gardens, went for long hikes, or took one of their favorite books to read outside. Whatever your summer activities entailed, we were grateful to take the relaxed summer pace to reconnect with friends and family we hadn’t seen in a while and with ourselves. Utilizing one of our most precious assets This summer is about how we can use our past learnings and perspectives to be more intentional this summer about how we spend our time. In other words, let’s consider what we might be doing now and, in the future, to best utilize our summertime. Let’s ask ourselves, what is the best way for us to use our summer downtime and what are the best ways of moving forward? We’ve had two years of interruptions to our daily lives, of our normality, and of our time. One of our most important assets is our time. So, maybe this summer it’s about being a bit more thoughtful about how we schedule our time – or how we don’t. Many of us have gotten into the habit of set times for weekly Zooming or Facetiming with families and friends who live far away. And we’re grateful for technology for helping us stay connected during the critical days of the pandemic. This year there will be more “we” time, and that’s a good thing. The importance of connecting with kids Amid all of these “events,” our goal for this summer is to be more intentional and to remember that we must invest in our relationships. For example, Jim is planning to spend one-on-one time with each of his grandkids, whether that be a day of cooking and grilling, going to a sports game, or playing a round of miniature golf. For the better part of the pandemic, our grandkids spoke to us only through technology or through windows and doors – screens of one kind or another separating us, and protecting us. Let’s make up for that lost time of togetherness. Maybe your summer plans involve more interpersonal time with each child, or niece and nephew, or your own grandkids. Children have been tremendously impacted by the pandemic, and perhaps this summer is about making sure they are OK and ensuring that they are prepared to return to some semblance of normal. Let’s use our power to create individual time with each other, most notably with the kids in our lives. We’d love to hear how you’ll be spending this summer and how you’ll be connecting with friends and family. We’ll share your plans in a future letter. All the best, Chris and Jim On this week’s Celebrations Chatter podcast, Jim spoke with former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx about her new book, “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late.” Much like us, Dr. Birx believes in the power of community — though in a slightly different context. Her message is simple yet powerful: “If you give them the right information and the right data, [people] will do what needs to be done to protect their community.” Watch the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Related articles that caught our eye Written by our Founder and CEO, our Celebrations Pulse Sunday Letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life. ©2022 Cheryl & Co. View as webpage This email was sent by: Cheryl's 646 McCorkle Blvd., Westerville, Ohio 43082 USA 800.443.8124 Want fewer emails? Click to Change Preferences To stop receiving emails, Click to Unsubscribe Visit our Website Privacy Notice Contact Us