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Do you remember when you couldn’t wait for Summer holidays because it meant sleeping late, doing whatever you wanted to do and going to the park all day?  For us it wasn’t all like that, we still had a few chores to do, plus we had to go through English and Maths exercise books to make sure we kept up with our education. Overall though, it was a time of fun and laughter with plenty of play time at our favourite parks on swings, playing ‘it’, running, jumping, hiding, shouting, laughing. Always with enough pocket money to buy screwdrivers and my favourite, oysters from the ice cream man, though sometimes, it was the 10p sweet bag, full of black jacks, fruit salads and sherbet fizz, which always seemed to last long, even if I had to share with my siblings and friends!

What were your Summers like? What are they like now? Do you still have Summers of fun? Or does Summer fill you with dread as it’s all day with the children or even more frightening, with the teenagers who eat you out of house and home.

We went to see the Queen Latifah film ‘Girls Trip’ and it was hilarious! Full of ‘oh no she didn’t’ moments and it felt great to just cackle out loud like all the other women in the cinema, so much so I felt a tiny bit sorry for the one or two men dotted around (who told you it was okay to come!).   It was quite nice, in the film, that they didn’t try and make the actors appear younger, as they were women of a certain age and accomplished but they definitely wore their ‘purple hat’ albeit some with persuasion. Light entertainment that will have you laughing out loud.

We cannot bring back what was and cannot even manage to drink and eat like we used to (for those of us approaching the middle bracket with all the ‘hot’ moments it brings). However we can ask ourselves a few questions and make sure we don’t forget the child within. We can make sure she still laughs like there is no tomorrow, worries less, plays more, dances without fear of who is watching and remembers to just have fun, after all, ‘girls just wanna have fun’ says Cyndi Lauper. Ask yourself:

1. What things or people make me laugh?
2. How can I bring more fun into my life?
3. What did I used to love doing that I can start again as a hobby?
4. Where can I go to play? (August Bank Holiday massive bouncy castle Alexandra Palace for adults! Looks amazing, used to have so many ‘nearly wet ourselves laughing’ moments on those!)
5. How can you break up your working week with some play time?
6. What simple cheap things can you do as a family to have some fun?
7. Who can you meet up with again to talk, share and laugh?
8. Where are the free festivals you can meet at with friends and family?

Whatever you decide to do this summer, or the rest of the year, enjoy yourself. You get to decide how much fun you have, where you have it, who you have it with and for how long…so go for it!

Karen Burke
ACMA, MAAT, DipPPC
Business Owner, Accountant, Speaker, Writer, Performance Life Coach

“I Can Do It!”

Twitter / LinkedIn: Karen F Burke