What to do on a summer afternoon

The novelist Henry James once said that the two most beautiful words in the English language were "summer afternoon."  We couldn't agree more, but as college counselors, we also know that the summer months offer students excellent opportunities to pursue some of their outside interests.

So, we would like to offer some suggestions for how to spend some of those lazy days of summer.

• Take a vacation. Yes, you heard us.  Take some time off to rest your brain. Don't think about school, don't think about college. Just relax.
• Find a place where you would like to volunteer, but consider working with an organization that is connected to something you might like to do in the future. If you're interested in a medical field, then volunteering at the hospital makes sense.  If you've thought about a career in journalism, see if the newspaper or perhaps a local magazine  might have room for an unpaid intern.  Budding artists might check with the Hunter Museum.  The Chattanooga Food Bank, the Community Kitchen, or Room at the Inn might also need some summer volunteers.  This is only the beginning of a list of possibilities.
• Look for a job.  Chattanooga is full of tourist attractions, so consider Ruby Falls (we just recently posted that one), Rock City, the Aquarium, or the Children's Museum. Check with the Chattanooga Lookouts or some of the downtown restaurants like Community Pie. Perhaps they're looking for some summer help.
• Discover the pleasures of reading a book just for fun.  Find an author you like - Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Jane Smiley, Gillian Flynn, Anita Diamant, you name it - read everyone of her books.  Or you could read lots of books in a specific genre: science fiction, biographies, historical fiction, you get the picture.  If you've always wanted to know more about the history of the blues or jazz, then do that now.  If you've always had an interest in middle eastern philosophers or Jackson Pollock, fin some books and start reading.
• You could do the same with films.  Choose a specific genre of films and watch as many of them as you can.  Keep a journal detailing what you've learned.
• Speaking of journals and writing, perhaps this is a good summer to start that poem, short story, or novel you've always wanted to write.
• Learn something new.  Have you always wanted to know how to cook or sew or change the oil in your car?  Now is a good time to learn.  Take a dance class in hip hop or tap.  Take guitar or xylophone lessons. Learn to juggle or play chess.  Learn to throw pots or play badminton.
• Traveling is always fun, because not only can it help you relax, but you can learn something too.  Before you head out to Yellowstone, New Orleans, or Germany, discover the history of the place.  Take lots of pictures and perhaps ask a teacher if you could do a brief presentation when you get back to school.
• Write a song, make a movie, start your own business.  

Whatever you do, we wholeheartedly believe that you should carve out some time for yourself.

As another of my favorite quotes says:

     ",,,to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of 

      water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

Come back to school refreshed and ready to go.