Have a Blast This Summer Without Going Broke

Danielle Herman - 26 Jul 19

“I’M IN!!!” was the first thing Leonie said, when I told her about my idea about a music event for deaf people. Making the impossible possible was her drive, just as mine.

I met her at a party in the Summer of 2012, she was then 28 years old. We started creating this event and with vibrating floors, aromas, video projections, dancers, light effect, taste sensations and sign interpreters it was done! People came from everywhere around the world and they wanted more!

We started a Foundation about making the impossible possible and after we got the events running, we organised a photography project for blind people. With these new projects we now travel around the world to organise these music events, like they are the most normal thing you can think of. As the chairman of our foundation, she made sure we stayed true to our mission: inspiring and showing people that if you take a stand for it, anything is possible.

World Peace

We kept on looking for the most impossible thing to do, to challenge ourselves…. And we thought we had found it: World Peace!

So, we created the event Pole World Festival: On the 21st of September – The International Day of Peace, set up by the United Nations – there was a peace event for one hour in every time zone. These events started at 8pm local time with an embrace and ended with an embrace at 9pm so that the energy got transferred from time zone to time zone. That way, the whole world got embraced and peace keepers all over the world were connected in their attempt to get people present to the possibility of world peace.

Clearly there is no world peace yet, but we strongly believed that this event could grow until it was done.

Was it the most impossible thing? No, Leonie came up with another:

Getting her cured from her blood disease became impossible….

In December 2017 she passed away, after years of going through every kind of medication you can think of. Facing her end, she embraced death and all that came with it. With an impressive calmness she said goodbye to all that mattered to her, having one last ultimate impossibility left for us:

She wanted us to celebrate life as she had celebrated her life. A “Life Party” instead of a funeral. So, there we were, 300 people, in a warm botanic garden, surrounded by flowers. Telling each other our own version of her mantra “If you come from love, you can be related with anyone”. Everybody contributed in a way that suited him or her best. With food from her nearest friends, music from other friends, and pictures form every visitor, we understood how powerful her intention was. All 300 people were profoundly related, connected in an outstanding way. Her love was present, all over the place.

Sure, there was sadness, grief and disappointment. But there was also inspiration. Leonie clearly wanted to communicate an immortal message. “In every situation, you can create an empowering context.

Leonie loved the Summer, it was her favourite time. So, this time of year I like to celebrate her life by getting out there. Embracing nature and breathing deeply into my soul.

Now…

I like the summer where you can watch movies outside or go on a hike, just breathe in that fresh summer air. I don’t mind it so much when it’s hot either, the heat and the perspiration makes me feel alive, productive.

I recently read an article from simplepayday.co.uk that praised enjoying your time cheaply and not relying on credit or spending too much money to enjoy yourself during the summer. Inspired by that article I decided to do my own list of positive summer fun for less or free.

So now that it’s Summer what are my cheap or free date ideas?

1. Go to state fair or Renaissance faire: Every late-summer and fall, there’s a handful of local fairs that I like to go to. I enjoy walking around the wilderness, eating food on sticks and turkey legs, and otherwise enjoying myself. It’s usually pretty inexpensive and you can spend a whole day there marvelling at the costumes. Avoid spending too much by leaving your credit cards and extra cash at home .
2. Check your local paper for events: Your local newspaper usually has a listing of all the fun events going on in your area. We can pick up a local events calendar at our library that will tell us what’s going on throughout the county. Many of those events are free or pretty close to being free.
3. Visit farmers markets: Part of the fun of farmers market is walking around the stalls and talking to all the vendors. Learn about where their farms are, how they make their jams or pies, and you end up buying some wonderful goodies you can cook with at home. Again, unless you want to be reaching for payday loans, leave the credit cards at home and put some strings on your purse!
4. Go to baseball games: Baseball games are always a lot of fun and many parks let you bring in your own snacks and sealed drinks. At Camden Yards, we’re allowed to bring in sealed sodas and all the peanuts and cracker jacks we want. Even if you can’t, there are going to be plenty of vendors outside selling hot dogs, burgers, and all manner of grilled foods. Major league games often have cheap tickets or you could hit up a local AAA team, I heard those games are a blast and you won’t need a loan to attend!
5. Go on a hike: Hikes are great, you can learn all about them from the U.S. National Park Service’s Find a Park search tool. You can bring a lunch too and turn it into an impromptu picnic at a scenic spot. Just remember to bring lots of water and a map!
6. Watch movies in the park: Unfortunately, not everyone has this but you’ll know if it’s available if you check your local events calendar. The movies won’t be new releases and they’ll probably just be classics, but it’s a fun time out in the park. Remember to bring snacks, drinks, a blanket and perhaps some bug spray too.
7. Walk around old neighbourhoods: We live near Ellicott City, which has a “old town” portion that you can walk along. They even have ghost tours! We sometimes enjoy walking along the main street, window shopping and stopping in for some homemade ice cream.
8. Go to cool open houses: Ellicott City also has a lot of older unique homes, so going to open houses can be a lot of fun too. We attended an open house for a home that was once used as a chapel, where all three floors had ground floor access. It was a beautiful home and a treat to look around in.
9. Go to the beach: Beaches are usually free, so all it costs for a fun time at the beach is some gas and some sun screen! We don’t go to the beach much because we don’t like sitting around, but when we do we make sure to bring games like bocce ball. Best of all, it’s doesn’t cost anything!
10. Go camping: Camping is fun as long as the weather isn’t too terribly hot, otherwise it can be difficult to fall asleep at night. We tend to go camping during the Spring and Fall months, when the weather is more temperate. Camping can be very inexpensive if you have the gear, otherwise a tent and such may run you some cash.

I’m sure you guys can do better! What are your favourite summer date ideas?

Danielle Herman

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