A ‘Not So Traditional’ Memorial Day Weekend

by Julie Johnson, Tastemaker in Residence

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a time for us to pack up and head to a family cabin near Park Rapids, MN.  If you aren’t from MN or unsure of its geography, Park Rapids is in the Heartland Lakes region of MN near Itasca State Park which marks the beginning of the mighty Mississippi River.

Typically, the weekend rhythm is found quickly by settling into the fresh inhales of north woods air and dancing to the slower pace of life outside of work, kids’ activities, and technology.  Weekend festivities most often include leisurely sunset cruises on the boat, conversations and/or cocktails around the bonfire, walks in the woods, and listening to the loon calls.  For some of us, it may even include a trip to the Dorset House for one of their enormous ice cream cones that will put you on a sugar high for the next 48 hours.  

However, this is a year we will have to set aside some of these cherished traditions and embrace a new twist on the weekend.  We’ve hit that season of life in which we have three teenagers juggling summer job schedules or more interested in staying close to home to hang out with their buddies.  Totally fine, I get it!  But, it leaves me with a curiosity of how the weekend will evolve.  Heck, maybe it will be the most memorable Memorial Day weekend ever…I just read in a book (on the science of memory) that events are more memorable when we break out of our routine and try something new.  

So, I look forward to the spontaneity of the weekend.  Maybe it will be a walk with a friend?  Wine with friends at a local vineyard? Grabbing morning coffee by walking to a local coffee shop?  Yoga on the deck?  I can already see the possibilities are endless.  What will you do to break out of your Memorial Day weekend norm?  Think about it…make it a ‘not so traditional’ Memorial Day weekend!