Hey guys!

A post a few weeks ago already described how I’m handling my broken sesamoid. For those who do not know, the sesamoid is a small bone between your big toe and the next one. The one on my right foot broke, and as I wait for it to heal (please!), my medical boot restricts me to the indoors.

While I can walk, staying outside in this heat makes me even hotter with my large boot. However, no injury will keep me from enjoying summer. For anyone out there with a broken sesamoid, foot, bone, etc., I’ll be listing all the ways to take advantage of summer but from the indoors. This post goes out to you all!

Let’s get to it! Ways you can summer vibe:

Crack out those summery recipes

As baking is one of my favorite things to do, this free time on my hands allows me to look through my cookbooks and see what cool dessert to bake up. Lately, I’ve been surfing Pinterest for recipes because I can modify what I’m looking for. Like today, for example! I made these Mango-Vanilla cupcakes that perfectly satisfied my craving for something sweet and cold. The creator of this recipe is @littlesweetbaker.

They turned out just fine! I found that the more you add confectioner’s sugar (AKA powdered sugar), the thicker the frosting, which is good if you want to style the cupcakes.

Where to find recipes? The easiest way for me is Pinterest. You can even Google Search, haha! But if you are looking for some healthy recipes, I like to look at Kayla Itsines blog, which features some really easy recipes.

Turn up the music

Take the time now to update your summer playlist. I used to use Spotify a lot until I switched to Apple Music, so I decided to update my Apple playlists with all of the songs I had in Spotify. Switch up the music and see what new songs are trending, or try to find those old songs that remind you of vacations and good times.

I’ve gone back a few decades in my music search and created a playlist called “Party”; it’s named so because these songs are the ones I would so dance to at a wedding. In fact, Apple Music has a playlist catered to songs that mostly likely appear at weddings, and they feature all those sing-in-the-shower singles I often forget.

Here are my top five songs from my newly modified “Summer” playlist:

1. “T-Shirt Weather” by Circa Waves
2. “Bibia Be Ye Ye” by Ed Sheeran
3. “Gold Dust” by Galantis
4. “How to Love” by Cash Cash, featuring Sofia Reyes (Boom Cartel Remix)
5. “Do it” by Tuxedo

Tackle those books and magazines

Throughout the school year, I always get excited to read the magazines that arrive in the mail, but I have to set it aside for a few days before I can start reading the first few lines. Now is the time to read those magazines sitting on your nightstand. Perhaps a big pile of books are sitting around, waiting to be read. Start to read those books now.

I kept a list of books I wanted to read over the summer in a pink journal where I jot down random thoughts. Since the start of my summer break about three weeks ago, I’ve gotten the chance to read three books so far that I was itching to read. Currently, I’m reading John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down. The beginning already sounds intriguing, and if anyone else watches John Green’s Crash Course on YouTube, the opening of this book reminds of me so much of the author.

Begin a new hobby or pick up an old one

With my current injury, training for a 5K won’t be the hobby I pick up, but with this free time, I got the chance to nurture a new hobby while revisiting another one. With a whole lot of time, summer is the perfect time to take advantage of trying something new.

My new hobby: playing around with graphic design, this blog being one of them. Creating a website, pursuing new ways to make my blogs interactive or eye-catching, and familiarizing myself with platforms like iMovie are somethings I’ve dedicated myself to these past few weeks. Starting from scratch and having to look up a YouTube tutorial every five minutes sure can feel irritating from the start, but once I correct a mistake I’ve made over and over, I start picking up skills. Take starting this blog, for example. My first few posts were scarce, detached, and lacked visuals, but about a year later, I see a whole lot of improvement. How else can I learn?

The old hobby: music. I stopped playing the piano back in ninth grade due to a lack of time and also a bad back. Now, I’ve started to practice a few of my old pieces. I can’t choose a favorite, but I think Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour” may just about be the sweetest piece I’ve played, so my goal is to now learn how to play it on the viola. Yes, we got a viola player in the house. 🙂

 

… Stay here and try it

Instead of going outside of the house, just stay inside and try one thing. I’ve heard and learned that trying to acquire five different pastimes at once is difficult, so take it easy. Maybe tomorrow morning you decide you’ll look at the music on Spotify and find your new playlist. Or, perhaps it’ll be time for a snack in the afternoon and you’ll think, “Hmm… Maybe I’ll give that dinner recipe a try now.”

I hope you are having a lovely day! And I wish you the best week, as well. For anyone in a situation similar to mine, I completely understand and can relate to feeling trapped inside. I’m hoping with these recommendations, maybe you’ll start to see all the possibilities you can pursue indoors.

See you all soon! xoxo