As we have seen so many times, when September shows up, summer slips away. But, this year, let’s make a last stand for the shining season. Soon enough, we will have nighttime temperatures in the 60s, then the 50s. Good sleeping weather, to be sure, but those nights will be followed by nights below 50 degrees, and I am not ready to think about that yet. With these factors in mind (and while I still have a tan), I present to you a list of things to do while the weather allows it. A group of a activities with a ticking clock. Soon enough, it will be time for the leaves to fall, and the jackets and hats to come back out of the closet, but not today. Let’s enjoy today.
These activities are great – stoned or not – but the high state of mind just gives them that little push over the top into the territory of the sublime (synonyms include “exalted, elevated, lofty, awe-inspiring, glorious, magnificent, wonderful, marvelous”). It’s that rare, wide-eyed, open-hearted spiritual/emotional state , contemporary hippies, and soul seekers of all eras.
1. Nature is the best place to encounter the sublime, and nowhere in nature can you both literally and figuratively immerse yourself in a partially manifested state of being quite like you can in a liquid environment. Nothing accentuates the differentiation between where you end and the medium picks up quite like being in a body of water. And, as I discovered many moons ago, your high undergoes a transformation when you walk into the water up to your neck. It is as if the water clears your mind for the time of submergence, only to return in full force when you remove yourself to lounge in the sun. It is a very cool, highly recommended sensation, and unless you are trying to be the next , swimming is a summer activity.
2. Get creativeArt, music, crafts, poetry, architecture…these are things that are great to do while high, and can be even better with a bunch of friends, a sampler pack of joints, and a handful of edibles. You do not need to prepare something to catch the ear of the Pulitzer committee or the curators at the Met, but heading out to the woods to stack and arrange a bunch of stones, logs, and whatever other materials you encounter, can open up spaces inside you that you did not know existed. It can leave a lasting memento for those who wander past your day’s work between now and the arrival of the winter’s coming snows.
3. Take an edible dayDesignate a driver if you plan on traveling distances, or walk, ride, or use public transport to go wherever the day takes you. You do not need to gobble hundreds of milligrams to get that feeling of melting into the molecules around you, but I recommend having double or triple your usual dosage on hand, because this is the type of adventure that tends to go long and attract friends.
4. Bong and barbecueThis is the advice I gave to begin the summer and I am sticking with it. What rivals the sublime experience of the meat sweats? Nothing I can think of. Add some weed, a group of friends, some tunes, and maybe some shitty preseason football on the TV, and between the munchies and the laughter you will send off the season in the perfect fashion.
There you go, my DGO amigos. My four-part plan to celebrate the waning dog days. You could even make these your set of events to enjoy the next few weekends, but only if you are not afraid of a good time.
Christopher Gallagher lives with his wife and their four dogs and two horses. Life is pretty darn good. Contact him at [email protected].
