It’s a bummer to bring up, but it must be faced: summer is on the way out. But consider this:

The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan has been named the happiest country on Earth, despite the fact that the Bhutanese contemplate death five times a day as part of their Buddhist tradition.

This practice is actually part of their happy secret because contemplating the preciousness of life makes it all the more precious. Which means in the spirit of precious life, we better get on with making the most of the remaining summer. Right now, what are the 5 things you most need to do before summer’s end to ensure you can move into the fall feeling less mournful?

A few ideas for living it up

• Eat a peach standing over the sink
• Loaf around for a whole day. Okay, that’s probably not going to happen – but even taking a minute right now to think about what your beautiful day of loafing would look like gives a wee taste of that deliciousness
• Sit by the water and have your favorite drink
• Get your feet wet in some natural body of water — up to your ankles if you’re a baby and can’t take the cold (check), or full-body immersion if you’ve got it in you
• Throw a rock in the water to hear the plunk
• Skip a rock across the water and feel ridiculously proud of your skill
• Buy something from a food truck or take-out stand and eat outside
• Get out of the air conditioning and just be outside in the wildness of it all for the smell and experience — bugs, heat, humidity, sun – the whole deal
• Look at the stars
• Go barefoot
• Eat watermelon, corn on the cob, a real tomato, lobster, a crab roll, a popsicle
• Go camping or hiking
• Visit a farmer’s market
• Pick berries
• Spray someone with your garden hose
• Do a cannonball or anything that makes you feel like a kid
• Go fishing
• Go to a fair, concert or festival
• Make some homemade lemonade
• Find a porch swing and swing
• Take your morning coffee outside and listen to the birds

Seize the summer day.
Eat a peach.
Remember you must die.