Putting the Joy Back in Summer

Summer is winding to a close. Technically, summer doesn’t officially end until September 21st. Yet, even without Jerry Lewis warbling “You’ll Never Walk Alone” into the late night telethon hours,* Labor Day is fast approaching and it marks the unofficial end of summer frivolity. Last year around this time, I bitched and moaned about how much summer sucked. This year, I decided to do something about it and took my own advice. It was time to put the joy back in summer.

There’s a lot you could easily be down about. The economy is in the toilet, cyclospora turned summer salads into Explosive Diarrhea Roulette, plus goddamn AI is eating everything on the internet like Galactus on holiday and wallpapering the once-useful internet with gobs of shit. However, there are still fun, cheap ways you can start putting the joy back in summer yourself. I’m probably the last person who should be doling out life advice but, hopefully, you’ll find something here that helps you reclaim some summer fun for yourself.

Idea #1: Embrace Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a recurring theme threaded through each of these ideas. Think about what you loved about summer as a kid. The freedom to stay up late, hang out with friends until the sun went down, and do things you wanted to all school year before homework got in the way. Granted, most folks still have to hold down a full-time job, but longer stretches of daylight can give you more energy. No, you’re not going to capture lightning in a bottle again. But you can get outside more, go for walks while it’s nice, dust off your DVDs, pull out your big binder of CDs, and find shows or songs that meant something to you. Enjoy them again with fresh ears and eyes, then see what it sparks. Maybe you snatch (heh…”snatch”) back some of the spirit of gleeful rebellion and creativity.

This summer, I remembered things that brought me joy as a kid. Instead of making mixtapes of songs off the radio, I listen to local terrestrial radio at night to hear something new that isn’t recommended by an algorithm. Then I make playlists of old and new songs on Spotify. (Cheap Trick’s 1990 album, Busted, has been in heavy rotation lately.) I’ve also been re-watching The Muppet Show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and WKRP in Cincinnati, before catching up on the AMC series’ Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. These two are the odd ducks out, considering they’ve been made in the last few years as opposed to 20+ years ago. However, they strike a familiar nostalgic chord, since I spent my formative summers binge-reading Anne Rice novels. Which brings us to….

Idea #2: Summer Reading, Adult-Style

There’s something about summer that intensifies my inner bookworm. It’s one of those cyclical things where you’re booted back to grade school and remember getting a list of books that were required reading before school started in the fall. Mandatory reading pissed off a lot of kids. I was not one of them.

As a kid, I pretty much lived at the library. Summer reading lists just meant I’d get to take a chance on a book that I might not have chosen for myself. It introduced me to quite a few books I loved at first read, including The Hobbit, Catcher In the Rye, and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. (The latter, an ultra-bleak look at the lives of Slavic immigrants at the turn of the century and horrid working conditions in Chicago’s meat packing district, wasn’t exactly something I wanted to re-read over and over again. However, it made a lasting impression and was quite eye-opening that summer before 9th grade. I’d still recommend reading it to those who haven’t. And you can read it for free online!)

Today, the best part about summer reading as an adult is that, if you don’t like the book, you don’t have to finish it. Back in the day, you had to suffer through it because that book would be on an pop quiz. (I’m glaring at you, Moby Dick and The Red Badge of Courage.) As an adult, if it’s not holding your interest, you don’t have to finish it. (Unless you went and joined a book club and are obligated to read and participate in a discussion. All the more reason why I never wanted to join a book club. First off, I don’t trust Oprah’s taste in books and secondly, I spend enough time doing things I don’t want to do, so fuck that.)

If you were one of the kids who loved reading back in the day, there are a few ways to rekindle that ol’ summer reading magic. Go to the library. It’s free! (Go on! Make Dolly Parton proud!) If you don’t have a library near you, use the Libby app and take out library books without leaving your house! Hit up a used bookstore or find a pre-loved book online at Thriftbooks. They have a solid rewards program. And, depending on how many points you rack up, you can even get some free books. One of the nice things about getting a used book is that, sometimes, a previous owner left notes in the margins or underlined text that spoke to them. That’s always an added treat, giving you a glimpse into the thought process of someone else who held that same book in their hands and — unknowingly — shared their thoughts with you down the line.

Another thing that can make summer reading a more fun is to institute your own version of the old Book It program. If you grew up in the ’80s, you might remember the Pizza Hut-sponsored program that rewarded young readers with a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza for every five books read. While they don’t offer a Book It program for adults, nothing’s stopping you from bribing yourself with a single-serving pizza as a little treat for finishing five books. If pizza doesn’t blow your ball bag off, then bribe yourself with Thai food or your favorite takeout to thank yourself for reading. (Audio books count, too!)

Idea #3: Become Who You Wanted to Be When You Were a Kid

Summer is a time for dreaming. It doesn’t matter how old you are. So, what better time than to embrace a sense of weird and whimsy? People go on summer vacations all the time. No matter where your travels, you come back with stories that might take you one step closer to what you’ve always wanted to become. A trip to a historically rich locale can make you feel like an archaelogist. A trek to a quaint shore town can put you in touch with your inner grizzled sea captain or trashy mermaid. And a visit to Disney World or Universal Studios can give you a space to unleash your inner princess or classic monster.

Personally, I always wanted to be a Jedi. As a kid, I was obsessed with Star Wars. My friends and I would break out our Kenner action figures or play live-action Star Wars, using fallen tree branches as lightsabers. I always wanted to be Princess Leia or Darth Vader. However, the boys in the group always got to be Luke or Vader and my friend Shila got to be Leia because she had dark hair that she always wore in braids. I usually wound up being Chewbacca since I was tall for my age and had long brown hair. While my young Jedi dreams were dashed, I embraced being Chewie and will say that making convincing Wookie noises is still a great way to win friends and influence people. Some skills never go out of style!

But hey, as they say “Even better… We got ’em when we were 40!” (Or 47, in my case.) This summer, I decided to embark on creating a Jedi Curriculum rooted in life here on planet Earth, as opposed to a galaxy far, far away. It was my own personal Jedi Academy, without worrying about getting lightsabered in my sleep. I combined a bit of everything that captured my attention about being a Jedi: balancing physical activity (yoga, dance) with philosophical studies (the Tao Te Ching and Hagakure from the East; Jung’s Man and His Symbols from the West), and then threw in a few areas of specialization.

Some Jedi mastered lightsaber forms, others steeped themselves in lore and history. I decided to to dig in on writing. I went back to what influenced George Lucas and read Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces (yes, you can also read this for free online). In turn, I learned about the recurring patterns in the hero’s journey and how they show up across multiple civilizations, both ancient and modern.

As for my other area of specialization, I’d grown interested in the concept of Sacred Clowns as truth tellers and an antidote to sorrow, whether it was the Heyoka shamans of the Sioux or Baubo of ancient Greek lore. For the uninitiated, Baubo’s claim to fame was that she helped shake the goddess Demeter out of her grief when her daughter Persephone went missing in the underworld. Baubo lifted her skirts in what was likely the Greek gods’ version of “all you ladies pop yo’ pussy like this” to make Demeter laugh. Beyond ancient legends, I read books by or about some of my favorite comedians to understand how they wove truth-telling in their comedy. I wound up studying the works of Professors Sam Kinison, Don Rickles, and George Carlin.

It was a fun experiment and I felt one step closer to becoming a thoroughly modern Earth Jedi this summer. If there’s something you always wanted to be, there’s no better time than summer to revive that inspiration and see how you can apply it to your own world. As a wise man once said: “Don’t dream it. Be it.”

Idea #4: Go Hear Some Live Music

If there’s one thing that rounds out the holy summer trinity besides frozen treats and reading, it’s live music. Since I was 13, I could always count on at least one, big summer concert event to look forward to. While I’m “too old for this shit” for fully outdoor shows and festivals (barring making an exception for certain artists or venues), seeing live music in the summer is still a tradition I hold dear.

Summer 2026 was marked by Blue Dot Fever and ridiculously high concert prices. There were quite a few shows I wanted to see. However, deciding between whether it was worth eating into my savings for a few hours in one night, welp… frugality and conventional wisdom prevailed. The more people shell out big bucks for tickets, the stronger a signal it sends that this is acceptable and the practice will continue, making concerts  accessible only for those with a surplus of disposable cash.

That said, it doesn’t mean that live music is off the menu. Heading to a small venue to support a local band costs very little. As an added bonus, it helps build community in an era where corporations are doing their damnedest to neuter rock n’ roll. However, if you want to see a well-known artist who’s rolling into your town on tour, pick one and go see an artist you love.

My Big Concert Event of the Summer was going to see Gene Simmons on his solo tour at Parx Casino just outside of Philly — a smaller mid-sized venue. I love those types of shows. Granted, I appreciate the creativity and pageantry that goes into a large-scale arena production like Ghost or even Rush’s most recent “Fifty Something” tour with a nearly three-hour set. However, seeing a show in an arena is a crapshoot given the current state of ticket prices, online scalpers, and where you wind up sitting. A small-to-midsize venue often gives you better odds of a good seat without feeling like you’re watching tiny LEGO figures on a stage from the nosebleeds.

A full 90 minutes of Uncle Gene’s show was just what I needed for my live music fix this summer. It was equal parts hits, deep cuts, spontaneous eruptions into unexpected songs (like “Rock Lobster” by The B-52s), and Shecky Green-style musings lobbed from the stage. For me, it was worth the money to see a performer who I’ve always enjoyed and admired in a setting that lent itself to what felt like a more personal experience.

Everyone’s got their favorite type of venue to see a show, but there’s something truly soul-affirming about getting out to see live music no matter how old you are.

Idea #5: Field Trips

Think back to when you were a kid and how exciting field trips were. During school days, it meant you weren’t trapped behind a desk. And during summer, there was always something thrilling about packing the car with snacks and driving somewhere new — whether it was the beach, an amusement park, or the zoo.

As an adult, it’s just as important to take a field trip. I said field trip. It doesn’t have to mean a full-on European vacation! Sometimes, a quick day trip can give you the boost you need on a budget. Anywhere that’s a change of scenery counts! Go to the beach or a local park or lake. People watch on the Boardwalk. Eat yourself silly on summer foods. A little soft serve or funnel cake won’t kill ya! Those are the things that can take you back to childhood joy and curiosity at any age.

It could be something as simple as taking one Friday off every month in the summer to shop, visit a museum, say hello to animals at the zoo, or grab lunch with friends. This summer, my field trips stuck to the recurring theme of nostalgia. I visited places that I’ve been to many times before that bring a sense of comfort and familiarity even though I don’t see them every day.

This summer, I went to Wildwood, NJ. I parked myself under an umbrella slathered in SPF 100 and splashed around in the ocean for a few days. Eating, walking the boards, popping into shops, and visiting the Boardwalk Aquarium was a nice lull in the action. I even got to see seagulls go completely apeshit when someone dropped a slice of pizza and a swarm of “sky rats” went full Hitchcock, dive bombing en masse to peck at the pepperoni while sending patrons scattering. (I love seagulls.)

As a bit of shameless navel-gazing, 2026 has been a weird year. A lot of things feel tenuous. Revisiting places that remind you of good times and feel like a “home away from home” are comfort food for the soul. Everyone deserves a little break, even if it’s getting away someplace you love for just a few days — or even a few hours.

As the Sun Sets On Summer

Sometimes, you have to stop pissing and moaning about how terrible things are and make a plan to find the simple joys where you can. While last summer was a bust, I’m glad I made a conscious effort to try to enjoy it more this year. I hope you found a couple fun — and cheap — ideas to revive some of your own summer spark, Dear Reader. And if not, there’s still time before (in the words of Bob Seger) “autumn closes in.”

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Footnotes: 

* Yes, I know Jerry Lewis has been dead for years. That would make him singing late at night even creepier than it was when he was alive.

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Photo Credits

• Header image: A photo of a photo I took myself and doctored, featuring one of many seagulls patrolling the beaches of Wildwood, NJ. (He really wants that pizza.) – Author’s own.
• Photo of stuffed fox Sammy posing next to a biography of one of his namesakes, Sam Kinison – Author’s own.
• Photo of stuffed elephants on the Boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ – Author’s own
• Photo of Uncle Gene doing his thing at Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA – Author’s own
• Photo of one of the best salads I’ve ever had: a watermelon-feta salad at Jersey Girl in Wildwood, NJ. (No, it did not give me diarrhea. Stay away from lettuce and stick to arugula, kids!) – Author’s own