This mid-point in the semester is definitely starting to take its toll. Summer is close but just beyond our grasps, and we’ve gotten sneak peaks of the warm weather but it just can’t seem to last. To help pass the time, dust off your summer bucket list and consider adding these five ideas.

1. Explore Your Home State/Region

Part of the appeal for me about summer is being back home. I want to see my friends and family, and do all my favorite "summer in New Hampshire" activities. But along with the old, I want to try the new! Whether your home is small or large, mundane or exciting, there is always something new to explore. Walk out the door and go somewhere you've never gone before, or do something you've never done in your home state or region.

2. Embrace Your inner Child

So much of my home and my memories of summer are intertwined with how I remember my childhood. This summer, whether you're home or not, embrace your inner child. Build a sheet fort, make a finger painting masterpiece, or let yourself splash like a wild child in a puddle during a storm.

3. Do Something Spontaneous

No you don't have to drop everything and hop on a plane to an exotic country, or buy a pet fish from the mall. But try to do something that makes you maybe slightly uncomfortable. Or something that makes you excited. Buy a blind date with a book! Or maybe even go on a blind date with a human.

4. Pick a Project and Do It

Fix a door, paint a masterpiece, write a novel, do anything you please! Pick a project and work on it throughout the summer. Make it your baby and tend to it each day. Start at the beginning and see what you have at the end.

5. Experience Live Music

Find a cheap concert, buy a ticket, and go to it. Go for the experience, for the crowd, for the vitality, for the music. Go to a band you love, or a band you've never even heard of. Get there early and wait at the front, or get there late and sneak in the back. The details aren't important. Get your butt to a concert, and let the music do the rest.