60: Reclaim JOY with your Summer Bucket List

How many summers do you really have left and what changes when you say the number out loud? We start with a simple May reset: intentional indulgences that awaken your senses and pull you out of autopilot. Think open windows, sunshine that lasts a little longer, flowers “just because,” and a slow outdoor ritual that asks for only ten minutes but gives you your life back. If you’re craving self-care that feels real, not performative, this is your gentle nudge to step outside and fully experience your days again. 

From there, we share a moment from Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening that captures what so many of us do in midlife: we build a schedule, chase errands, and accidentally become a slave to a day we invented. One bird song, one pause, and the whole spell breaks. That leads into the powerful “30 summers left” perspective, inspired by loss and the clarity it brings. It isn’t a countdown meant to scare you. It’s a treasure map that helps you prioritize what matters while you still have time to play. 

You’ll get practical ideas for a summer bucket list that’s actually a “to feel” list, permission to say yes to something you’ve always wanted to try, and a challenge to be a tourist in your own town instead of waiting for vacation to start living. If you’re ready for more joy, more presence, and a summer you can honestly say you claimed, press play now. Then subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review so more people can find Life Is Delicious.

Transcript

Flowers For No Special Reason

Slow Outdoor Rituals That Stick

Gather Outside For Real Connection

A Reading On Dropping The Schedule

Loss And The Wake Up Call

Welcome And Newsletter Invitation

The 30 Summers Left Mindset

A Summer Bucket List To Feel

Be A Tourist In Your Town

Claim Joy And Make It Happen

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I started a tradition a while ago and um it's called our intentional indulgences for each month of the year. And it's really dear to my heart because it's one of those things I really think is super important to be able to remind ourselves that we have to take a priority place in our own lives. So this month, intentional indulgences are all about awakening your senses. April and May are the gentle nudge out of winter, where the world starts to soften and brighten and come back to life. And you know what? I think we do that too. So your invitation this month is simple. Step outside and fully experience your life again. Open the windows, buy the flowers, take the long way home, and sit in the sunshine just a little bit longer than you normally would. So here are a few intentional indulgences for the month of May. Number one, go to a local market or one of your favorite flower shops and buy yourself some flowers. Just because. Not for any special occasion, although Mother's Day is around the corner. But instead of that, buy the flowers because you are the only occasion that you need. I love to buy myself a little bouquet of Gerber daisies. And sometimes if you don't have a whole lot of money to indulge for this, you can put one little daisy in a small little vase and put one in every room of your house. I I sometimes will do that in my bathroom, by my kitchen sink, over by my bed. And it just brightens up my space and I just love it. Number two, create a slow morning or evening ritual outside. Maybe it's gonna be coffee on your deck, maybe it's a glass of wine in the garden, or even ten minutes just watching the sky change at the end of the evening. Give yourself just ten to fifteen minutes to be present in your own outdoor environment. I know for me, my outdoor environment is a huge part of where I spend my time in the summer. And it was really interesting. This weekend, I was sitting outside on my deck with my journal and a new book that I just bought. And I realized I don't sit outside just for no good reason very often. So I'm trying to remind myself to do that and have a cup of coffee in the sun in the morning because this time of year when you're outside, there's always something to plant, there's always something to water, there's always something to mow, there's always something to clean up and where we forget to just sit and be in our space. So I love to challenge you to do that this week. And number three is uh plan one small outdoor gathering, nothing fancy, just a group of friends with the people that you love for connection and laughter and fresh air. Maybe it's a barbecue or maybe it's just sitting out and having a fire. Maybe it's on the beach, maybe it's in your backyard, maybe it's a picnic in the park, just something that brings you close with the people that you love and reminds you of the connection that we have with one another. Because intentional indulgences are not just about spring, it's about remembering that we are allowed to feel good. We're allowed to slow down, and we're allowed to enjoy our life today, not someday. So when I was sitting out on my deck and I was reading, this book is um by Mark Nepo. It's called The Book of Awakening. And each day there's a sp separate entry. So you just pick whatever day you're on, and it has a little thought for the day, and I love it. I've just started reading it, but I'm gonna read you what I opened for today, and it really gave me a pause and helped me to remember that I need to slow down too. So this one's called Filling the Day. I wake clear and rested, light flooding my room. The day seems endless and free. But making coffee, I notice three bills I haven't paid, and after showering, I notice I need a haircut, and since I'll be out that way, I think I might as well pick up my shirts. But I so want to spend time in the sun. So I think, well, after these errands, I'll go to the park. And then I deliberate which park will be just right and decide on one 40 minutes away. Finally, wanting to make sure there is some fun in all of this, I call a friend and I plan to meet her at a movie at six. Now, I have to hurry along to make sure I can get everywhere on time. But thankfully, while gassing up, I hear a small bird and they lift my head just as a cloud opens, and the light floods my mind. And I drop all my plans like change on the ground. I laugh at myself. I can so easily become a slave to a schedule I create. Not one of these things is necessary today. I drop everything and I follow the bird. Isn't that beautiful? It's just such a great reminder of how we can busy up our days for no good reason just because we can. And sometimes it's really great to do nothing at all. So as I was thinking about this idea of awakening and really being here and present in our lives, I remembered that I did an episode last year, and it was called Thirty Summers Left. And it was really, really powerful. But that year that I did it, my mom had passed away in early January. And it was such a profound impact on the way that I feel about every day. And it's not uncommon to a lot of us that once you experience a loss, a significant one, it really reminds us to not ever take anything for granted. So I wanted to revisit that concept because when we really look at our lives, we don't know how much time we have left. And it's important for us to be able to look ahead and go, wait a minute, how often have I put this off or that off? Because I could always do it next year or the year after. So I wanted to bring that episode back to life, and I hope you'll enjoy it, because I really do think that there's something very profound in celebrating every day and not wasting our summer. Let's make sure that this summer gets to be intentional. So if you're interested in some ideas on how to take back your summer, then stick around because you're not going to want to miss this. Welcome to this episode of Life is Delicious. I'm Marnie Martin, and I'm so glad you're here. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the Life is Delicious family. This podcast isn't about surviving midlife, it's about crafting your next chapter life overflowing with purpose, joy, and delicious possibilities. Listen, midlife doesn't have to be a crisis. It can be a beautiful invitation to remember who we are, to rediscover a new version of ourselves, or to completely reinvent our life to reflect who we are becoming now. So if you're tired of being exhausted living life on autopilot and putting everyone else first, then you are in the right place. Each week we'll bring you thought-provoking ideas and practical strategies as well as inspiration to help you prioritize yourself again. It's time to take back your Join de Viv. So grab a notebook and pen and pop in those earbuds and let's go get it. You know, I am a firm believer in the concept of becoming like the things and the people that we give our dominant attention to. And the fact that you are tuning into this podcast tells me that you are someone who values growth and that you want to build an extraordinary life for yourself. And I'd love to hang out with you even more often, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I created my email newsletter that's also a love letter from me to you, delivered directly to your inbox every Tuesday morning. If you haven't signed up, just head on over to lifeisdelicious.ca and there you can sign up for a little one-on-one with me where I'll share inspiration, cool ideas, joyful strategies, and fun recipes for your delicious life. Subscribe over at lifeisdelicious.ca. Okay, let's start with the math. If you are in your 50s or 60s, statistically speaking, you might have 25, 30, maybe even 35 summers left on this beautiful planet. That's not meant to scare you. It's meant to inspire you. Because when we name the number, time suddenly feels pretty real, and real is powerful. How many summers have you let slip by, lost in to-do lists, people pleasing, overworking, or waiting for someday? How many years have you told yourself, maybe next year I'll take that trip, or maybe next summer I'll finally get to have that fun I keep dreaming of? Well, you know what? There is no time like the present, and this is your summer. Do you remember when the last best summer you ever had was? I know for me it's been a few years, and and I don't know about you, but I remember when just being able to run through the sprinkler and pick peas out of the garden made it a great day. I guess things are a little more complicated now, but they don't have to be. Let's pause for a moment and ask, what does a delicious summer look like for you? Is it spontaneous road trips and roadside ice cream stands? Is it mornings in your garden with your heart wide open, the sun on your face, and your hands in the dirt? Is it dancing barefoot at a concert in the park under the stars? Or maybe it's something quieter. A lawn chair on the sand, your toes in the water, and a good book in your lap. Whatever your summer dream is, I want you to claim it. Because summer isn't about doing more, it's about being more present, more open, more you. Here's the thing I love most about midlife. We finally know what matters. We've lived enough to understand that time is precious. But we also still have so much time left to explore, to reinvent, and to play. This is the season when we finally stop living for others and we start to live for ourselves on purpose, out loud, and without apology. Here are a few gentle but powerful ways to embrace the summers that you have left. Number one, make yourself a summer bucket list. This can be really fun and there are so many things that you can do that don't even have to cost a penny. So your summer bucket list is not a to-do list. Instead, create a to feel list. How do you want to feel by September? Maybe you want to take a pickleball class or learn how to paddleboard. Maybe you want to try a cold plunge. Maybe it's an art class for you or learning a new language. Here where I live, there are a whole bunch of small waterfalls all over the island, and I decided that this is my summer to go and find them. Every weekend I'm going to take a road trip to someplace different and make it my mission to check out all five or six of them. I know the other day I was actually walking down my driveway taking out my garbage, and I looked back in my yard and I saw my fire pit with my four chairs around it. And it was Friday morning about eight o'clock or something like that. And it just struck me, I thought, oh my gosh, I never get to go camping anymore. But I have a fire pit in my backyard. So why don't I just pretend I'm camping and go in the house and make myself a cup of coffee and go sit out and have a fire in the backyard. So I did that and it was awesome. Honestly, I'm gonna do it way more often, but there's so many things like that that we attach to camping, or I only do that when I'm on vacation. And it doesn't have to be that way because this is your life, and you get to write the rules and you get to do it however you want. Number two, say yes to one thing you've always wanted to do. Even if it feels silly, especially if it feels silly. Give yourself permission to get out of your comfort zone and live a little. Make sure you put it on your calendar, schedule it, and commit to it because you deserve it. Number three, let go of one thing that's weighing you down, whether it's clutter, a commitment, or a belief, let it go and open yourself up to bringing in more joy. Number four, be a tourist in your own town. When is the last time you walked down the street in your hometown and really went into the shops and met the people and saw what actually surrounds you every single day? How many times do we drive past everything great that people come from miles around to enjoy in our city when they're on vacation that we never even take advantage of? Back when I was 18, I moved to Los Angeles to study uh voice. And I remember I was working at this little cafe called Mimi's Cafe, and it was about 15 minutes from Disneyland. And I remember saying to all the people that worked with me there, I would say, Oh my god, you guys must go to Disneyland all the time. And you know what? Almost every single one of them said, I haven't been to Disneyland in like 20 years. I don't even think about it actually. And I was just appalled. I was like, what? And it's always that way with us, right? If something is right down the street and we can go anytime we want, most often we never go. And it's crazy. So, and even last year, I remember um we have this beautiful pier that goes out over the ocean, and tourists come for miles around. You can fish right off the dock, and there's a beautiful ice cream stand there, and they do fish and chips and stuff. And last summer I went for a walk down there and I stopped and got myself a nice big ice cream cone, and I just hung out and took in the vibe, and I was like, why on earth do I only come here like once a year or when I have company in town? It's crazy. It's such a beautiful place to be, and it's so fun to watch all the families on vacation with their kids. And if you get really lucky, every once in a while a pod of orcas will go by. So that has become something I put on my summer bucket list and on my regular list, to feel list, because it's so much fun to go, and I don't want to wait for joy anymore. So here's my invitation for you. Don't wait for the perfect summer. This year, live your summer bucket list, lean into joy, and make this one of the best summers you've had in a really long time. And don't forget, every summer from here on out can be better than the last. But it's our job to claim it, to create it, and to go and make it happen. Having 30 summers left is not a countdown. Let's use it like a treasure map and live each summer like it matters. Let's fill our days with meaning, our evenings with wonder, and our lives with stories and memories that we're proud to share. I hope you have an amazing week, and I can't wait to hear about all the fun adventures you go on.