Ballsy Summer Bucket List

It is my FAVORITE time of year. The temperatures are finally warmer (dare I say they are HOT? Midwest humidity is no joke – BUT I promise I’m not complaining), the days are blessedly longer, there is a more relaxed pace and an opportunity for connection that seems to exist solely in this time of year.

The California girl in me looks forward to this Summer season all year long, and though the days seem to slip through my fingers like grains of sand – leaving Fall and Winter looming – I always resolve to make the most of every drop of sunlight, every moment of joy.

Part of that comes from learning from the people who model joy and play for me every day – my small people. In this case, I’m talking about my daughter. At 6:16 pm on July 10th, 2004, Delaney made me a mother. At that very moment – and with every breath since, I’ve vowed to be her primary, and one of her best teachers.

What I couldn’t have predicted at the time is that SHE has become the very same for me.  From her I have learned the beauty of patience and the magic of self confidence (her self awareness is light years beyond where I was at her age). I have learned how important it is to model the behavior I would like to see not only in her, but in the world.

She motivates me to work harder, to smile more and to push myself beyond the limits of who I knew I could be.

She makes me brave and ballsy.

The timing is perfect. My friends at BROOKSIDE Chocolates are encouraging us to ‘be ballsy’ by creating a Ballsy Summer Bucket List,  a collection of the things that you may have always wanted to do, but you’ve put on the back burner, allowing fear or a seeming lack to time to get in your way. But I’m doing it with my girl’s help – making that list – some are solo items, but others are ones I’m doing with her. This is a perfect fit for my favorite chocolates – this newest campaign, ‘That’s Ballsy’ encourages and champions us to be daringly different and yes, ballsy. As you probably know, BROOKSIDE is a delightful combination  –  a daring ball of dark chocolate with exotic fruit flavors like acai, pomegranate and goji… the result: the most delicious tart and delightful dark chocolate combinations that I keep in my desk, in the pantry and take with me when I travel.

Here we go – my Ballsy Summer Bucket List

Meditation and Mindfulness – yes, this is a stretch for me. I’ve always barreled through life, working to knock one item after another off my to-do lists…rarely stopping to breath and focus. I am vowing to take the time my mind needs to decompress, focus and be mindful of what I need – body and mind.

Exercise and Yoga – I get it, this may not sound like a ‘ballsy’ move, but I have an end goal that IS ballsy. Not only do I want to get myself into the healthy place I know I can exist, but I want to master a few specific poses (and I will!) AND I’ve always wanted to be certified to TEACH yoga. The first step is naturally to stop making excuses and be a regular in class.

Back to Silks – This, if you can believe it, is more exercise, but it’s a skill I yearn to have. Last year, I began to take an aerial silks class and LOVED it. But in the final class I took, I managed to get hurt, which increased my ‘fear factor’. I’m going back. Being ballsy is about conquering fears and I’m all in.

Travel Overseas with My Girl – I have been lucky enough to travel out of the country with my family, but not overseas. I haven’t been to Europe since I studied abroad in Oxford during college. Not only are we making this happen – my girl and I are heading to London and Paris at the end of July, but I get to share an extra piece of me she doesn’t know: we will make a day trip to Oxford so she can learn a chapter of my past. We will see the sights, we will eat the food, we will learn the history and I will be in the moment – not working the entire time.

Book It – I’ve always been a reader, but in the last few years, the time I have allowed myself to dedicate to this passion has fallen off. Every year, I commit to reading ‘more’, but somehow always allow this to drop to the bottom of the list. Part of creating a ‘ballsy’ Summer Bucket List is committing to honor myself and my passions. I will read ten books this summer – five that make me a better human being and entrepreneur and five just for fun.

Go Minimal – Clutter. I feel as though it could be my middle name. Or our home’s middle name. Or my office’s middle name. There. Is. Just. Too. Much. Stuff. I truly think a cluttered world is the sign of a cluttered mind. But adding this to my list is a BIG one. It means MAKING the time to sort through the piles of clothes in my closet and the guest room. It means exposing what is hidden in the cabinets and under the beds. It means forcing myself to part with items I’ve long squirreled away.

Now it is YOUR turn. What is on your Summer Bucket List? What is on your BALLSY Summer Bucket List?

I can’t wait to hear. Promise to check back and share my progress.

P.S. – Also on my Ballsy List – and happening in September – I’m sailing the Adriatic Sea to get my Captain’s License. I’m equal parts thrilled and terrified.

Disclosure: I’m happy to have partnered with BROOKSIDE CHOCOLATE to inspire a Ballsy move in your world. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.