Holidays and other crazy observances have been established in August.  I was amazed at all the fun days when I started looking. This inspired me to create my Celebrate FUN Challenge for August!  

I am encouraging you to take time and create your summer bucket list.  Brainstorm ideas based on holidays and observances or your own list of people, places and sights to see before summer comes to an end.  Ask yourself questions like:

What do you want to do as we wrap up summer?   What summer only activity do I want to do? What summer only food do I need to eat?

It’s not too late, there are 31 days left to do activities that bring you joy, have fun and simply celebrate life!

I am encouraging you to develop your own bucket list today!  Then, for the rest of the month of August, do things off your summer list!  It doesn’t need to be big, grand, or cost much money. Just fun, something that brings you joy and something that celebrates life.

For example, August 3rd is Watermelon Day!  To celebrate, purchase a watermelon and cut it up for a healthy snack, strip it onto skewers for a fun summer dessert, or bring a huge bowl of watermelon to work for a breakroom or department snack.  You can take it a step further and have a seed spitting contest!  This simple summer holiday can bring you joy, laughter, a healthy snack idea and is an easy way to celebrate life!

August 2nd is National Ice cream Sundae and Ice cream Sandwich Day!  A fun way to celebrate might be to go to an old-fashioned drive-up place and order Sundaes.  Maybe it’s buying fixings for home and creating your own Sundae’s.  This could also be done at work, church, a social group or as a team building event.  Create fun names for your Sundae’s having a contest, who’s Sundae is the most creative, delicious, or beautiful in presentation. 

August 4th is Sister’s Day.  Celebrate your sister, and if you don’t have one by blood celebrate a sister in the faith.  Make a fun tribute post to them on social media, send pictures in an email or carve out time to spend with your sister and celebrate her during this day.  Just a simple card, text, or phone call can work if you live far apart, anything that you can do to celebrate a sister and make the day special.

To get started on your summer bucket list, get a piece of paper or your journal.  Get a pen or fun markers like I did and start brainstorming a list.  This list can be your personal list, one that you and your significant other create or a family bucket list that is collectively made.  There are no wrong answers to start brainstorming.  It is not wrong to set a price limit like less than $5 a person or within 30 minutes’ drive to keep it realistic and not break the budget or really be feasible to do.   If many people are participating, put up a big sheet of paper on the wall to make the list.  Set aside a fixed amount of time, like 10 minutes, so it doesn’t drag on.  You can always make the list more practical later and cross of things that are too far away, too much money, or not realistic to fit into summer with the time off you have. 

When creating your own bucket list…

 Ask questions like:

What have you not done that you still want to do this summer?

What should you celebrate?

What brings you joy?

Where do you want to go that’s only open in the summer/ before Labor Day?

Who do I want to spend some time with? 

What national holidays or obscure observances are there in August?

So, get that summer bucket list done today and start celebrating the dog days of summer and life today!