Summer Schedule

“Will they have a gym there?” My teenage son asked while packing for his stay-away summer camp.

Of course not! It was a summer camp by the lake. There will be no phones either, but I didn’t think he was ready to hear it yet.

“I don’t think so. It’s a summer camp, you know. They want you to do outdoorsy things and hang out with other kids. There will be a zipline though.”

My son didn’t seem consoled. “It doesn’t mean I should stop working out just because I am at a camp,” he responded.

I admire my son’s dedication to working out. I really do. Especially now that I am trying to replace my fun ice cream movie nights with… sets of crunches. Gosh, my son makes them look so easy! But there was more to life than the gym!

I opened my mouth and was ready to give my son a speech about the benefits of trying new things, the value of flexibility, and the good old-fashioned summer fun versus protein diets and rigorous weight lifting practice. But then I realized something.

My sons’ summer school break started a month ago, but I was still trying to hold on to the schedule and routine I had developed during the school year. The house was full of noise and chaos with everyone at home, but I was still hoping to find a few hours of peace and quiet for my productive/ creative/ thinking time alone. It made me wonder. Even if I managed to negotiate an hour here and there in the name of setting boundaries, how did this stubborn cry for the familiar routine serve me?

Being creative and productive was certainly in line with my values and personality, but the way I went about didn’t do me any good. Instead of adjusting my expectations to the summer reality and enjoying sleeping in, travels and local activities in the Nature Paradise we were lucky to call home, I was frustrated that I didn’t have time to write my blog, edit my book, or generate more leads for my coaching practice. All of it was important to me, but at the same time, none of it was urgent. In fact, some of it required me to do nothing else but patiently wait. Plus, I had recently passed my ICF Credentialing Exam, so perhaps I could give myself some grace.

What if I took the very same advice I wanted to give my son? Maybe instead of sticking to what I usually did, I could branch out. I could get creative with cooking or produce a drawing, both of which were easy to do in a full house. I could stop complaining about how the summer heat got in the way of my energizing afternoon walks and do some cardio exercises at home. If the house was too hectic for a coaching session, maybe I could sit on the patio and catch up with the people I haven’t called in a while. I could even finally stop talking about climbing our local mountains, but make some strides in that direction.

In the end I didn’t lecture my son. I was sure that between swimming, zipliining, and making new friends, he wouldn’t have time to think about either the gym or the phone. His biceps will be just fine. And so will my projects, and my efficient school year routine when my kids get back to school. But now that summer was in the air, it was a perfect time to fall into the summer schedule and rhythm and I was ready to do it.