Groundhog Day is here again! Here we are, in day 4,072 of quarantine and I am over it! Summer vacation is quickly approaching and most of the pools in the area have announced that they will remain closed for the 2020 season. Vacations have been cancelled or postponed left and right. Even Independence Day celebrations have already been called off, months in advance. The sun is out… the temperatures are rising… and we can’t spend any time outside with our friends. What is there left to do but improvise?!
Last Saturday, on a particularly hot afternoon, we decided to have a pool party. Our home is firmly planted in suburban Mid-America with no pool in the yard… but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t try to make it happen. We headed to Wal-Mart, (masked and safe, of course), to pick up a pool that would save the summer. We chose a beautiful six foot, hot pink, blow-up pool… covered in pink unicorns. (It’s just the fancy and mature pool two forty-somethings need for a bit of back yard summer fun.) We also procured some provisions like magazines, margaritas, and Dippin Dots and headed to the checkout counter. (Temporarily distracted by the street taco truck, we made a pit stop for lunch…)
Once we were home, we filled up the pool, grabbed two beach chairs, and dove in. Helped by the sounds of my summer tanning playlist, we had a relaxing afternoon. The water was cool, the margs were tequila-tastic, and the sun was warm. I am sure that the neighbor, who was mowing his lawn at the time, thought we were insane… but we didn’t care. If you closed your eyes and imagined REALLY hard, it was almost like being on vacation.
We capped off the afternoon sitting on the patio, listening to an ocean waves playlist, and having tuna poke for dinner. All we were missing was the beach breeze and the smell of salt in the air.
I’m still not ok with the situation of the universe this year. I miss people… and going places… and doing things. For now, our imagination is all we have, so we are trying to make the best of it. What are YOU doing to be creative in the meantime?
Here is a link to my summer tanning jams… just for inspiration!
Forty Fat and Fabulous 