SOLSTICE REFLECTIONS FOR SUMMER: ENDEAVOR, EXPLORE, ENRICH

Seattle's Public Market. Taken by PKSenagore. All rights reserved.

BY THE TIME THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR ARRIVES, JUNE 21 IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SCHOOL’S OUT FOR ALMOST EVERYONE except those enrolled in summer semester courses.  However, there’s room for a little lesson that might help us capitalize on summer’s upbeat and happy pace when it comes to exercise, nutrition, and social connections.   It involves a quick study of three words: endeavor, explore, and enrich.
 
Online dictionary definitions of these terms, which all are used as verbs, include:
 
ENDEAVOR
-Attempt to achieve something https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/endeavor
 
-To devote serious and sustained effort
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/endeavor
 
-To make an attempt to do, or make (noun: the use of energy to do something)  https://www.freethesaurus.com/endeavor
 
EXPLORE:
-To search through or into; to go into or range over for purposes of discovery
 https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explore
 
-Travel around, investigate https://www.freethesaurus.com/explore
 
ENRICH:
-Enhance, make rich https://www.freethesaurus.com/enrich
 
-To make better; to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/enrich
 
Each word has a different meaning but taken together can guide how we might approach our summer exercise sessions, activities of daily living that involve eating, and social engagements.  Rather than continue with routines that helped us survive work and school days in the darker and cooler conditions of late fall, winter, and early spring, consider seeking alternatives that reflect and take advantage of the warmth and illuminating spirit of summertime. Some might be carried on or adapted to fit into a more hectic life pace after the season.
 
FITNESS
It’s likely that opportunities to EXPLORE novel means of expending physical energy and maintaining fitness won’t be scheduled for us like when we were school children.  We must ENDEAVOR to find and trial new and enjoyable ways to ENRICH our exercise lives.
Active.com has several numbered “listicle” slideshow articles that might provide inspiration to change things up:

• 8 Must-Try Unconventional Exercises by Erik Taylor
• 7 Circuit Workouts for Endurance Athletes by Erik Taylor
• 6 Unconventional Workouts to Try This Summer by Sarah Harris

NUTRITION
The same can be said for new, fresh, and tasty food experiences, which probably will not magically find their way into meals without purposeful efforts to EXPLORE recipes, local eateries, grocery stores, food trucks, and farmer’s markets.  The ENRICHMENT of our palates and health will require some work. This delicious ENDEAVOR can be approached as a flavorful culinary experiment.
 
The internet is full of try-at-home recipe suggestions.  Below are a few online resources.  Most regional lifestyle magazines run seasonal articles which highlight sectional cooking specialties that are relatively easy to prepare. The popular “farm-to-table” cooking trend featuring super-fresh ingredients can be applied to the preparation of many foodies favorites. With a bit of trial-and-error practice, recipes might be tweaked to accommodate individual taste preferences, culinary skills, and kitchens.
 
“50 Summer Vegetable Dishes to Make in 20 Minutes”
https://www.thekitchn.com/50-summer-vegetable-dishes-to-make-in-20-minutes-232847
 
“45 Easy Summer Dinner Recipes”
http://www.midwestliving.com/food/quick-easy/45-easy-summer-dinner-recipes/
 
“39 Recipes for Summer Vegetable”
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/summer-vegetables-slideshow
 
SOCIAL
Social interactions confined mostly to exchanges of electronic messages may not be best for building and maintain strong relationships and fending off loneliness. Busy work and family life may necessitate this convenient method of connecting most of the year. Perhaps the summer can be different. However, off all the summer enrichment ENDEAVORS that we might attempt, exploring in-person contacts may be the most awkward to execute, in my opinion.  An alternative to increasing one-on-one summer encounters might be to broaden social engagement through friendly group activities.
 
Outdoor sport events, film festivals, and group runs, walks or rides are a few examples of less intense opportunities in which the company of others could be enjoyed in summer weather. Many large, medium-sized and small cities sponsor movie nights.  Theaters  promote bargain-priced classic movie showings or festivals, usually as indoor matinees. Both activities bring film lovers together.  
 
Men’s and women’s professional sports are fun outdoor summer crowd activities. Baseball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and even cricket clubs provide spectating opportunities. If a special interest sporting event isn’t contested nearby, like tennis at Wimbledon, golf at the British Open, or World Cup soccer, a local pub/bar might be a welcoming place for group viewing; non-alcohol beverages are trending alternatives to the usual potable fare.
 
MAKE THE EFFORT
Summer can be a time to investigate new experiences that freshen stale routines and enliven ordinary tasks. Perhaps some can be continued beyond the few months of the season. As the dictionary definitions of the word ‘endeavor’ indicate, attempting these discoveries will require an expenditure of energy, but the result may be that something beautiful is added to everyday life.
 
Consider making the longest day of the year, the first of the official season, the beginning of a summer endeavor to explore and enrich.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/8-must-try-unconventional-training-exercises/

 https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/7-Circuit-Workouts-for-Endurance-Athletes

https://www.active.com/yoga/articles/6-unconventional-workouts-to-try-this-summer

https://www.uslacrosse.org/players/post-college
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_soccer_league_system
 
http://usaca.org/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Cricket