Joy Jot #28: The Summer of George

One evening over Christmas break my family talked over waffles. We shared our rose and thorn of 2025 and our bud of 2026. I talked about looking forward to the new year with hope I could make some changes to brighten my day-to-day life—intentionally adding in experiences I enjoy to balance the difficult ones.

We could call this self-care. *

Sometimes when I think about self-care, I recall an episode of the TV series Seinfeld titled “The Summer of George” (Berg & Schaffer, 1997). George gets a severance package for three months and he chooses to spend the summer doing whatever he wants to do, including eating a whole block of cheese!

Sometimes I find I need to give myself permission to engage in self-care activities instead of staying in productive mode. Even though George’s actions hyperbolize self-care, I still like to think about this episode because it makes me chuckle and encourages me let go and have fun taking care of me.

I am hanging a block of cheese from my rear view mirror this year to remind me to live 2026 like it’s the “summer of George”!

What is one small thing you could do to brighten your day?

Enjoy!

Amy

*self-care: “Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.”(National Institute of Mental Health, 2024)

References

Berg, A., & Schaffer, J. (Writers), & Ackerman, A. (Director). (1997, May 15). The summer of George (Season 8, Episode 22) [TV series episode]. In L. David (Executive producer), Seinfeld. NBC.

National Institute of Mental Health. (2024, December). Caring for your mental health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health