Feeling down? Go see UP

There ain't no time for the summertime blues-- "Cross my heart."  

Grab a salty box of popcorn, some chewy Red Vines, your favorite drink, settle in to one of those cushy theatre chairs -- and let Ellie and "The Spirit of Adventure" sweep you away for an hour or two.  

You will not be sorry! Your imagination will stir, your heart will swell, your whole face will smile, and your sense of adventure will bust wide open.  It will be two hours where you will be absorbed with the childlike spirit of play and adventure and imagination-- and I think that is a really good thing ... especially in summer.

It seems that it is at about this time in the summer vacation that we all begin to get a little bit restless. Eager for a little more structure, eager to reunite with some old friends, and dare I say, even a bit eager for the challenge and familiar routine that a new school year brings.

Don't go there yet!  Breathe in!  Breath out!  Breathe in!  Breathe out....

There is such great value in down time -- time to restore our physical and mental health, and time for creativity and dreams to take hold.

And in this glorious summer space of limited responsibilities, warm summer breezes, sandy beach days, and carefree long afternoons that roll into evening .... I challenge you to make some promises for yourself in the coming year.

Promise yourself that you will:

Celebrate free time.

Schedule in creative, alone time this year.

Be selective as to how you invest in extra-curricular activities.

Connect with those people and activities that interest YOU.

Drop those commitments you are doing out of obligation. 

Colleges are looking to enroll "human beings" and they quickly see through those applications that are filled with a lot of contrived "human doings."  They want the real deal --  the real person -- They are looking for authentic, genuine college students who will find a true sense of belonging and feel at home on their campus.  They want the real YOU!

Free time, down time, play time, the "Spirit of Adventure" time is that necessary space that allows us to quietly discover our own interests, competencies, and talents. We can do this because we set the tempo, we set the calendar, and we can move at our own pace.

This is healthy stress management. 

This is balance.

We need sleep to rejuvenate our over-scheduled minds and bodies.

We need daydreams to tap our passion and set us on our own creative course.

We need time to think and reflect so we know who we are, and where we fit.

And sometimes we need a few cartoon animated characters like Ellie, a heart-warming story, and a sleepy dark theater to remind us to take our time -- to dream --  to explore --  and to unbury the child-like spirit of summer  inside each of us.

Go see UP!

P.S.  What's inside your "Adventure Book" ?