16: What If This Summer Could Change Everything?

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Have you ever calculated how many summers you might have left? If you're in midlife, the answer might be both sobering and surprisingly motivating. After losing my mother in January, I've been thinking deeply about how mortality illuminates what truly matters in our lives.

When we do the math—25 to 35 summers remaining for those of us in our 50s or 60s—we suddenly see time differently. Not as an endless resource to be squandered, but as a precious gift to be savored. How many summers have you already let slip by, lost in to-do lists, people-pleasing, overworking, or waiting for "someday" to arrive? This episode isn't meant to depress you but to spark a revolution in how you approach each passing season.

Summer isn't about doing more—it's about being more present, more open, more authentically you. I share practical ways to reclaim your summer joy, including creating a "to-feel list" instead of a to-do list, saying yes to one experience you've always wanted to try, letting go of something weighing you down, and becoming a tourist in your own hometown. I even share my own revelation about using my backyard fire pit on a random Friday morning to capture that camping feeling I'd been missing.

The beautiful thing about midlife is that we finally know what matters. We understand that time is precious, yet we still have enough time to explore, reinvent ourselves, and play. This is the perfect moment to stop living for others and start living authentically for ourselves—without apology or hesitation.

Ready to make this one of the best summers you've had in years? Subscribe now and join me in using our remaining summers not as a countdown, but as a treasure map—filling our days with meaning, our evenings with wonder, and our lives with stories worth sharing.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, beautiful friends.
It's Marni, welcome back to.
Life is Delicious, the podcastwhere we explore simple, joyful
ways to reduce stress, embracemidlife and create more joy in
every day.
For the past two summers I havespent quite a lot of time in
Kelowna, where my parents resideand I work for myself, so it's

(00:22):
really great.
I can be a bit mobile and I'vebeen able to go out in Mother's
Day and help my mom plant herflowers, and then I get to be a
bit of an assistance, as theyare aging and there's been some
mobility issues, and last summerwe actually relocated them to
an assisted living complex andsold their house.

(00:44):
So I've had a lot of time withthem over the past two summers.
But today's episode is a littlebit more close to my heart.
For those of you that don'tknow, I lost my sweet mama in
January of this year and it'sincredible how those moments can

(01:04):
really put not only ourmortality into view but our
vitality as well, as we realizethat we just can't afford to
take anything for grantedanymore Because we're just not
promised tomorrow.
Sorry, I don't say that to bemorbid or to be a Debbie Downer

(01:27):
at all, but what I wanted toexpress is that when you really
look at your life, how manysummers do you actually think
you have left?
Now it's June and it's theperfect time to have a look at
this question, because it's soeasy for us to postpone joy, and

(01:50):
I know for me, I have a summerbucket list and there's some
things that I have been puttingoff that I just when I actually
thought about that for a minute,I thought, wow, that's really
intense to think that you onlyhave so many summers left and
that you actually probably haveless really good summers than

(02:14):
you think.
So time is of the essence.
That might sound a little bitheavy at first, but this is
really more about a celebration,a wake-up call, a love letter
to time and to summer and tothis incredible chapter of life
that we're in, because we arecurators of our own contentment,

(02:36):
of our own happiness, and timewaits for no one.
So if you're interested in someideas on how to take back your
summer, then stick around,because you're not going to want
to miss this.
Welcome to this episode of Lifeis Delicious.
I'm Marni Martin and I'm soglad you're here, and if this is
your first time here, welcometo the Life is Delicious family.

(03:00):
This podcast isn't aboutsurviving midlife.
It's about crafting your nextchapter life overflowing with
purpose, joy and deliciouspossibilities.
Listen, midlife doesn't have tobe a crisis.
It can be a beautifulinvitation to remember who we
are, to rediscover a new versionof ourselves, or to completely

(03:22):
reinvent our life to reflect whowe are becoming now.
So if you're tired of beingexhausted, living life on
autopilot and putting everyoneelse first, then you are in the
right place.
Each week, we'll bring youthought-provoking ideas and
practical strategies, as well asinspiration to help you
prioritize yourself again.

(03:43):
Well as inspiration to help youprioritize yourself again.
It's time to take back yourjoie de vivre.
So grab a notebook and pen andpop in those earbuds and let's
go get it.
I don't know about you, but forme and a lot of my friends, I
noticed that we are all just alittle more sober, curious, than
we used to be.
And if you haven't met me, I ama true wine lover and I still

(04:05):
love to drink wine.
But as we get older, our bodiesjust don't metabolize alcohol
as effectively as they used to,and for me, I'm really trying to
be a bit more mindful of whatI'm putting in my body.
So I recently discovered Kenshococktails.
They are delicious, premiumnon-alcoholic and ready-to-drink
cocktails that are crafted bythe RSRV Collective, and I love

(04:29):
that.
The meaning of Kensho isself-discovery in Japanese, and
it really reflects the brand'sdedication to crafting cocktails
with the nuance of traditionalmixology while remaining
gluten-free, vegan, non-gmo, lowin calories and free of alcohol
.
Kensho cocktails wererecognized by BevNet as one of

(04:49):
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They're crafted with premiumbotanicals, natural citrus and
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Botanica is inspired by gin andtonic, orana mimics the best of
an old-fashioned and Amarichannels an Italian aperitif.

(05:10):
These ready-to-drink beveragescan be found at
wwwrsrvcollectivecom, and mylisteners get an exclusive 30%
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Be sure to use my special link,delicious 2025, to get 30% off
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Kensho cocktails are a fun wayto enjoy responsibly, with

(05:32):
sophistication and great taste.
That's wwwrsrvcollectivecom,with the discount code
DELICIOUS2025.
Okay, let's start with the math.
If you are in your 50s or 60s,statistically speaking, you
might have 25, 30, maybe even 35summers left on this beautiful

(05:57):
planet.
That's not meant to scare you.
It's meant to inspire you,because when we name the number,
time suddenly feels pretty realand real is powerful.
How many summers have you letslip by, lost in to-do lists,
people-pleasing, overworking orwaiting for someday?
How many years have you toldyourself, maybe next year I'll

(06:21):
take that trip, or maybe nextsummer I'll finally get to have
that fun I keep dreaming of?
Well, you know what?
There is no time like thepresent and this is your summer.
Do you remember when the lastbest summer you ever had was?
I know, for me it's been a fewyears and, and I don't know

(06:43):
about you, but I remember whenjust being able to run through
the sprinkler and pick peas outof the garden made it a great
day.
I guess things are a little morecomplicated now, but they don't
have to be.
Let's pause for a moment andask what does a delicious summer
look like for you?

(07:03):
Is it spontaneous road tripsand roadside ice cream stands?
Is it mornings in your gardenwith your heart wide open, the
sun on your face and your handsin the dirt?
Is it dancing barefoot at aconcert in the park under the
stars?
Or maybe it's something quietera lawn chair on the sand, your

(07:25):
toes in the water and a goodbook in your lap?
Whatever your summer dream is,I want you to claim it, because
summer isn't about doing more.
It's about being more present,more open, more you.
Here's the thing I love mostabout midlife we finally know

(07:46):
what matters.
We've lived enough tounderstand that time is precious
, but we also still have so muchtime left to explore, to
reinvent and to play.
This is the season when wefinally stop living for others
and we start to live for ourself, on purpose, out loud and

(08:07):
without apology.
Here are a few gentle butpowerful ways to embrace the
summers that you have left.
To embrace the summers that youhave left.
Number one make yourself asummer bucket list.
This can be really fun andthere are so many things that
you can do that don't even haveto cost a penny.

(08:28):
So your summer bucket list isnot a to-do list.
Instead, create a to-feel list.
How do you want to feel bySeptember?
Maybe you want to take apickleball class or learn how to
paddleboard.
Maybe you want to try a coldplunge.
Maybe it's an art class for youor learning a new language.
Here, where I live, there are awhole bunch of small waterfalls

(08:52):
all over the island, and Idecided that this is my summer
to go and find them.
Every weekend, I'm going totake a road trip to someplace
different and make it my missionto check out all five or six of
them, I know.
The other day I was actuallywalking down my driveway taking
out my garbage and I looked backin my yard and I saw my fire

(09:15):
pit with my four chairs aroundit.
And it was Friday morning,about eight o'clock or something
like that, and it just struckme.
I thought oh my gosh, I neverget to go camping anymore, but I
have a fire pit in my backyard,so why don't I just pretend I'm
camping and go in the house andmake myself a cup of coffee and

(09:36):
go sit out and have a fire inthe backyard?
So I did that and it wasawesome.
Honestly, I'm going to do it waymore often, but there's so many
things like that that we attachto camping, or I only do that
when I'm on vacation, and itdoesn't have to be that way,
because this is your life andyou get to write the rules and

(09:57):
you get to do it.
However, you want Number twosay yes to one thing you've
always wanted to do, even if itfeels silly, especially if it
feels silly Give yourselfpermission to get out of your
comfort zone and live a little.
Make sure you put it on yourcalendar, schedule it and commit

(10:20):
to it, because you deserve it.
Number three let go of onething that's weighing you down,
whether it's clutter, acommitment or a belief.
Let it go and open yourself upto bringing in more joy.
Number four be a tourist inyour own town.

(10:42):
When is the last time youwalked down the street in your
hometown and really went intothe shops and met the people and
saw what actually surrounds youevery single day?
How many times do we drive pasteverything great that people
come from miles around to enjoyin our city when they're on
vacation that we never even takeadvantage of?

(11:04):
Back when I was 18, I moved toLos Angeles to study voice and I
remember I was working at thislittle cafe called Mimi's Cafe
and it was about 15 minutes fromDisneyland, and I remember
saying to all the people thatworked with me there I would say
oh, my god, you guys must go toDisneyland all the time.

(11:25):
And you know what almost everysingle one of them said I
haven't been to Disneyland inlike 20 years.
I don't even think about itactually, and I was just
appalled.
I was like what?
And it's always that way withus?
Right, if something is rightdown the street and we can go
anytime we want.
Most often we never go and it'scrazy.

(11:47):
So, and even last year Iremember we have this beautiful
pier that goes out over theocean and tourists come for
miles around.
You can fish right off the dockand there's a beautiful ice
cream stand there and they dofish and chips and stuff.
And last summer I went for awalk down there and I stopped
and got myself in these big icecream cone and I just hung out

(12:08):
and took in the vibe and I waslike why on earth do I only come
here like once a year or when Ihave company in town?
It's crazy.
It's such a beautiful place tobe and it's so fun to watch all
the families on vacation withtheir kids and, if you get
really lucky, every once in awhile a pod of orcas will go by.

(12:29):
So that has become something Iput on my summer bucket list and
on my regular list to feel list, because it's so much fun to go
and I don't want to wait forjoy anymore.
So here's my invitation for youDon't wait for the perfect
summer this year.
Live your summer bucket list,lean into joy and make this one

(12:54):
of the best summers you've hadin a really long time, and don't
forget.
Every summer from here on outcan be better than the last, but
it's our job to claim it, tocreate it and to go and make it
happen.
Having 30 summers left is not acountdown.
Let's use it like a treasuremap and live each summer like it

(13:21):
matters.
Let's fill our days withmeaning, our evenings with
wonder and our lives withstories and memories that we're
proud to share.
I hope you have an amazing weekand I can't wait to hear about
all the fun adventures you go on.
Make sure you leave me acomment so I know what you've
been up to.
I hope you loved today'sepisode.

(13:44):
I hope it inspired you ormotivated you in some way to
keep going and create your verybest life.
If you did, would you stop andtake five minutes to leave me a
review on Apple Podcasts?
It's the best way for me toknow that you're enjoying the
show and it helps otherlisteners find us as well.
And if you haven't already,make sure you subscribe wherever
you get your podcasts so thatwhen new episodes drop, they'll

(14:05):
be queued up and ready for you.
And if no one has told youtoday, there's not one person on
this planet that is exactlylike you, and the world is a
better place because you're here.
So thank you for being here.
I'll be back next week and Ihope you'll join me right here
on Life is Delicious.