Figuring Out Summer: Productivity and Fun Combined

Summer time is almost here and I am really looking forward to it. It's a very interesting time of year I think. It feels somewhat less busy than all the other seasons, and yet this is the time when I feel like I am in the adult world the most, where I am working at a full-time schedule and pace. Every summer, I tell myself that I will be productive and do things like read books, work out, and learn skills hands-on. Yet, every summer, I still somehow manage to fill up my free time with...the internet, video games, and general laziness around the house. While these are not necessarily bad things, I just feel like I am wasting my time moreso on these activities than the ideas and plans I make.

Although, in the moment, I feel pretty accomplished when shredding on Guitar Hero

So, I am trying to come up with ways to make myself more productive this summer. This is similar to how my Lenten commitments in previous years pretty much failed and how this year I was better able to stick to my plan because of the goals I made. I want to come up with ways I can increase my skills while at the same time enjoy events and activities that are fun and involve family and friends. I don't want to be locking myself up in my room on my computer all the time, even on those July afternoons where it's 99 degrees and 99 percent humidity.

I got 99 problems and the weather is all of them

Adventures Around Town

Go to Shakespeare in the Park

I have not yet been to the Shakespeare Festival in St. Louis. In fact, the last time that I saw a Shakespeare play was when I was an intern for the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City. This year, the festival at Forest Park is producing both parts of "Henry IV" and "Henry V". The latter is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare and it is best understood after watching the events in "Henry IV" unfold.

Pilgrimage to Holy, Catholic Sites

My mother already says she wants to take me to visit the Black Madonna Shrine. I have already been to the Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne once before, but I want to go again and this time add on a trip over to the old St. Ferdinand Shrine in Florissant where St. Duchesne also lived. Also, I want to take time to go see the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica and probably go visit the old Cathedral as well in order to not only see beautiful architecture but also to look at part of the history of Catholicism in the St. Louis area.

Go to a Concert

There are several really great concerts coming to St. Louis this year that I have to try to narrow my options (especially as I look at budgeting). The concert I want to experience the most is the David Rawlings Machine show which features John Paul Jones and Willie Watson in the band. The biggest reason I want to go is because I asked my father if he would like to go because it is music I think both of us would enjoy. Other options would be seeing Jack White at the Fabulous Fox, seeing Pokey LaFarge at a small stage in St. Louis, or seeing Old Crow Medicine Show at the Peabody Opera House.

Go to Grant's Farm

This is something that not only my mother wants to do but also something that I would like to do with my godson and his family. Last year we went to the St. Louis Zoo together and this year it would be another interesting experience up close with more unique animals.

Canoeing/ Rafting

Last summer I went on a float trip with college friends and it was a lot of fun. I tried to go one more time, but it never worked out. This time, I hope to get some practice on canoeing or rafting techniques by floating around St. Louis and if possible go on another float trip. It would be a great way to experience nature and get a little bit of exercise (not to mention cooling off in the water on a hot summer day).

Schlafly Brewery Tour

This is THE craft beer that I recommend from the St. Louis area. This is a leftover item from last year's summer plans. I think it would be a nice way to spend a weekend afternoon (possibly with friends or family) touring the place and hanging out in the tap room.


Around the Home

Morning Walk/ Jog

My hope is that I start off my mornings on a productive note by going on a walk. Not only would I get exercise, but walks in the morning help me clear my head and plan my day and/ or week. My hope is to walk around my new neighborhood, see some new sights, and eventually get to a point where I jog as well as walk. The plan is to walk daily and to do so before I eat breakfast.

Practice my Golf Swing in my Backyard

I keep (somewhat) jokingly telling my folks that they need to add a putting green to the backyard. This will be my family's first summer at the new home and I hope to take advantage of the large backyard we have. It's definitely not large enough for practicing with a driver, and probably not large enough for long distance iron shots. However, my hope is to practice my chip shots with wedges and small distance irons as well as get better at digging myself out of the rough.

Summer Reading List

What's a complete Summer To-Do List without reading books? There are some books at my house, such as The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes and The Silmarillion that I could possibly start this summer, or at least make a dent in the book (they're pretty dense but that's part of what makes them worthwhile). I have a couple of books on my Bucket List I hope to finish during the summer, which are The Confessions of St. Augustine and The Imitation of Christ

Maintain Blogging

How can I keep everyone updated on my life without blogging? I have been having a lot of fun with this blog so far and I hope to continue posting lots of various thoughts and articles on here. Not to mention, I have to keep my Reach teammates up to date with my goofy thoughts and comments (which means a quick shout out to the Holy Family team in Helena is in order. To Kristin, McKenzie, Melissa, and Elizabeth "Hi teammates!").

Weekly Catholic Movie Viewing

Part of this has been inspired by my Bucket List, in which I have a goal to watch all the movies on the Vatican Film List. This has gotten me interested in finding good movies with strong Catholic themes and messages. I noticed that more classic (50s and 60s) films provide such a message and appeal to a greater audience. So, my mom and I are planning on sitting down together once a week to watch a different classic Catholic movie (such as "The Bells of St. Mary's" and "The Song of Bernadette".

Harry Potter-Christianity Research Paper

I'll admit this one seems pretty weird. However, after a few observations of my own and discussions with friends, I have become way to curious about the connections between the Harry Potter books and movies and Christianity. So, my goal would be to read all of the books and watch all of the movies and take notes at moments that may mention Christian things and then create a paper analyzing these notes. Admittedly, this may be time consuming and I may have to continue this after the summer, but at least I can get started on the process. This project is just something to satisfy my own curiosity.

Creativity

A quick side note about this section. A part of my summer experience will be to find a place within my family home that I can be alone and allow my creative imagination to run wild. That's kind of hard to do in the house since it is smaller, and I don't wish to lock myself up in my room all summer. The best idea I have would be to make some space in the cellar. It has a cavern-esque aesthetic, would stay cool during the hottest days, and gives me privacy.

Learn Songs on the Guitar

Over the past few years I've been trying to teach myself guitar, yet I have hardly been able to get to the point of 1) Playing a song in its entirety and 2) Playing guitar and singing at the same time. There are only a few times when I've been able to achieve this. So, this summer, my goal is to be able to play multiple songs in their entirety and have them be songs that I can sing along to at the same time. While I would like these songs to be more rock'n'roll, I have recently been inspired to learn some Christian songs (because the musicians I've been meeting up here are AWESOME!).

Write a Play Draft

I figured as a writer and someone who has been invested in the theatre community for awhile, it's about time that I get down to writing a play. I have attempted writing a script a few times before, and none of them have gotten very far (or at least were kind of embarassing when they were finished). I have already been drafting a plan for a full-length play script, but I am also considering writing a one act. This one act play would be something that can be performed by university students and would be public domain (or at least cheap). After having been through several student directed one acts, and experiencing the difficulty of choosing a script, I would like to do something that gives students another good option. Also, it is on my Bucket List to produce a self-written play, and how can I produce a self-written play without writing it first?

Write a Novel Draft

After several previous attempts at writing a full story, I want to actually complete one. However, while my goal would be to write a novel worthy of publishing, I want to allow myself a little more creativity and to not be afraid to make mistakes that need adjustments later on. So, this is kind of the pilot story that allows me to see what I need to tweak and what areas of my writing are strongest that need emphasis. Also, it is on my Bucket List to publish a novel, so why not start my masterpiece now?


Life After Reach 

Study Economics 

This one is not for fun and games. This coming fall semester, one of my classes is Financial Concepts. I have never taken a finance or economics class in my life, so if I am going to participate in a graduate-level finance class starting in August, I want to try to brush up on my understanding of economics and finances.

Learn/ Rehearse Monologues

Part of an actor's job is being able to audition well (and part of a director's job is to sit through and understand the entire auditions process). An actor should have a few monologues in their repertoire, ready to deliver a 90 second performance, whether contemporary, classic, Shakespeare, Beckett, all kinds of genres and styles. I know I have a few Shakespeare monologues I want to memorize, but I also need to find modern pieces worth memorizing so I can get back in the acting game.

Holy Hour Adoration

One of the challenges I will be facing after Reach will be continuing my growth as a Catholic man. My faith life grew immensely during college which I credit to the work of the FOCUS missionaries I encountered and the faith community at Catholic Campus Ministry. On Reach, I am surrounded by people that are trying to grow in their faith as well, so I have the support of a community who understands my struggles and can help me. After Reach, it will be tough to find or commit to a community of Catholic peers. I will be busy with a job, school work, and possibly theatre activities.

Prayer has been a powerful experience that has helped me grow in my individual faith life. Ultimately, it's up to me to take action to grow closer to God (a community of Catholics is incredibly helpful though), and so I want a powerful prayer life at home that will help me continue my faith journey. Thankfully, there is an adoration chapel at the church just up the road from where I will be living. I can stop by there and make time to spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Adoration is a powerful time to prayer and a time I plan to seek aid and refuge.

Daily Mass & Rosary

Mass is the other powerful experience that has helped me continue to grow in my faith. Going to Mass as often as I can will be incredibly beneficial to keeping my faith strong and alive. I pray that I can continue to go to Mass on a daily basis. The other daily thing I want to continue after Reach is praying the Rosary. It was incredibly powerful for me during Lent and has continued to be a tremendous form of prayer for me.



Of course, I will be making time to hang out with friends and family. And of course I hope to be busy with summer jobs. This is just a play on ways I can spend my free time during this summer so I don't feel like I am wasting it. I may have to make a schedule or some sort of plan of attack in order to figure out how to achieve all of this in one summer, but the beauty of having a plan with lots of items is that I have several options of goals that I can work towards on a regular basis.