For residents of the Pacific Northwest, summer arrives with a specific sense of relief. After months of gray skies and drizzle, the sun appears, the heat is gentle, and the light lingers until 9 p.m. One writer from Portland makes a summer bucket list every year to avoid letting the season slip by unnoticed. The goal is not to accomplish tasks, but to decide what feeling the summer should hold, such as more ease or more adventure.
The list includes 30 ideas for eating, exploring, creating, connecting, and romanticizing ordinary moments. For eating and drinking, suggestions include visiting a local farmers’ market and buying whatever looks best, making a signature summer drink, and hosting a themed dinner party. Other ideas are trying a menu item usually passed over, cooking something from scratch that is usually bought, and eating at least one meal outside every week.
For movement and exploration, the list recommends driving to a new place within two hours of home without an itinerary. Swimming in a natural body of water, such as a lake, river, or ocean, is also suggested. Other activities include hiking a new trail at golden hour, exploring a local city like a tourist, taking a walk without a phone once a week, and waking up early to watch the sunrise.
For reading and creating, the list proposes reading a book so engaging that time is lost, starting a summer journal to collect items like pressed flowers or ticket stubs, and trying a new creative hobby such as watercolor or pottery. Writing and mailing a physical letter, reading outside whenever possible, and making a summer playlist to capture the season’s feeling are also included.
For connection and celebration, the ideas focus on planning an event with a loved one, calling someone who has been on the mind, and saying yes to a spontaneous invitation. Throwing a gathering with no specific occasion, taking someone to a personally meaningful place, and telling three people who made the year better that they did are also recommended.
For romanticizing the ordinary, the list suggests wearing nice clothes on a regular Tuesday, setting the table properly for a meal eaten alone, and keeping fresh flowers in the home all summer. Other ideas are giving the summer a personal name, wandering into a bookstore with no plan, and on the last day of August, writing down everything to remember about the season.
The article concludes that a summer bucket list is a permission slip to pay attention. It does not require a flight or a major life change, but simply asks the individual to show up with open eyes. The magic of summer is something a person decides to notice, and once they start looking for it, they will see it everywhere.
