I’ve been thinking lately about how much happier life feels when there’s something on the calendar to look forward to.
And I don’t mean a big vacation.
Of course, a week at the beach or a trip somewhere new is wonderful. But most of our lives aren’t made up of big vacations. They’re made up of regular Tuesdays, busy work weeks, errands, laundry, appointments, responsibilities and routines.
That’s why I think the little things we plan might matter even more.
A campout.
A picnic at the lake.
Dinner around a fire.
A Saturday drive to a town you’ve never explored.
A hike followed by ice cream.
A night away somewhere close to home.
None of these things has to be expensive or elaborate. The magic is often in the anticipation.
When you put something fun on the calendar, you don’t just get to enjoy it when it happens. You get to enjoy thinking about it beforehand, too.
There’s something wonderful about being in the middle of a hectic week and thinking, “But Saturday we’re going camping!” or “Next weekend we’re taking that little road trip.”
It gives the ordinary days a little sparkle.
Fun Doesn't Have to Cost Much
Sometimes I think we accidentally convince ourselves that having fun requires a big budget or a complicated plan. It really doesn’t.
Here are some things you could put on your calendar for very little money:
Pack sandwiches and have a picnic somewhere beautiful.
Camp in your own backyard.
Have a bonfire and invite a few friends.
Take a hike somewhere you've never been.
Pack coffee and watch the sunrise.
Pick a town within an hour of home and spend the afternoon exploring it.
Have a game night.
Take a scenic drive with a great playlist.
Go fishing.
Visit a farmers market or local festival.
Pack dinner and eat it at a lake or park.
Have an at-home movie night with popcorn and everyone's favorite snacks.
Take your dog somewhere new for a long walk.
Find a free outdoor concert.
Plan a “tourist in our own town” day.
Invite friends over for a potluck instead of going out.
Pick a new trail and make a morning of it.
Grab ice cream and go for an evening drive.
Have a beach or lake day and pack everything from home.
Put your phones away, sit outside and play cards.
None of these will make anyone's Instagram followers jealous. 😂
But that's not the point.
The point is creating a life that you enjoy living.
And Then There Are the Mini Getaways
I'm also a big believer in the one- or two-night getaway.
You don't necessarily need airfare, seven days off and months of planning. Sometimes changing your scenery for 24 or 48 hours is enough to feel like you've actually gone somewhere.
My easy formula would be:
Pick a place within 1–3 hours → book one night → choose one fun thing to do → choose one good place to eat → leave the rest unscheduled.
That's it!
For those of us in New England, there are so many easy little adventures: a weekend in Mystic, Newport, Portland, Lake Placid, Manchester or Woodstock, Vermont; the Maine coast; the Connecticut shoreline; the White Mountains; or even a tiny Berkshire town you've driven through a hundred times but never actually explored.
And wherever you live, you can do the same thing. Draw a three-hour circle around your house and start making a list.
Call it your “Easy Adventure List.”
Maybe yours has 10 places. Maybe it has 50.
Then when you suddenly have a free weekend, you don't have to sit around asking, “What should we do?”
Pick one.
Put the Fun on the Calendar
This might be the most important part.
We schedule dentist appointments.
We schedule meetings.
We schedule work deadlines.
We schedule oil changes.
But sometimes we treat fun as something we'll get around to if there's time left over.
And somehow, there never seems to be time left over.
So schedule it.
I actually love the idea of sitting down at the beginning of every month and putting one or two things on the calendar that you're genuinely excited about.
One can be completely free.
Maybe another is a day trip or overnight.
And occasionally, there can be a bigger adventure somewhere out on the horizon.
Imagine looking at your calendar and knowing:
This weekend: picnic and hike.
Two weeks from now: campout.
Next month: overnight getaway.
This winter: that trip we've been talking about.
Suddenly there's always a little something coming.
The Good Life Is Happening Now
I think sometimes we wait for the big milestones.
The vacation. The wedding. The graduation. The promotion. The retirement. The “someday when things slow down.”
But our lives are happening in between all of those things.
Maybe part of living a Good Life is getting better at creating little moments that make an ordinary week feel special.
They don't have to be expensive.
They don't have to be impressive.
They don't even have to be far from home.
Just give yourself something to look forward to.
Put the picnic on the calendar.
Plan the campout.
Book the little weekend away.
Call the friends.
Pack the cooler.
Take the drive.
Because sometimes the smallest plans end up becoming some of our favorite memories.
And maybe a Good Life isn't one giant adventure. Maybe it's simply making sure there's always another little one on the calendar.
Please share with me what you come up with and if you try these ideas out !
“Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.”
— L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables