Photo description: Kids carry a boat to the shore at Camp Fire Alaska in Cooper Landing. (Photo by Michael Dinneen)

As June nears its end, summer is at its peak. This time of year, the long hours of sunlight in the wake of summer solstice make me feel like I’ve got a little more time to my day. The question is, what do I do with that time? 

There’s so much abundance to Alaska’s summer! Summer camps for kids that are tailored to every interest, from rock climbing, to gymnastics, to art, and more. Weekend getaways to public use cabins. Berry-picking afternoons and daylong fishing trips. Hiking, biking, boating, a festival nearly every weekend, the State Fair, backyard cookouts and late nights around campfires. With all the possibility summer offers, it’s easy to fill a day down to the minute with activity. 

When I think of the kids in summer camp, though, I think about the hours of unstructured time they have to just be kids. Camps schedule activities to fill the hours, but they also provide stretches of time for campers to play and explore on their own. Kids organize impromptu games without guidance from adults. They get bored, and out of that boredom, they make up stories and adventures. They just hang out. That unstructured time allows them to strike up friendships, practice creative thinking, and develop social skills. 

The thing is, those kids aren’t trying to develop social skills or make friends. These are just the byproducts of doing nothing in particular. 

Recently, I read a blog post by Dr. Vivek Murthy, former U.S. Surgeon General, in which he quoted a friend: “If you want to build relationships, you have to be willing to waste time with other people.” 

Wasting time. Getting together with another person with no plan, no agenda, no goal. It feels almost decadent to think of passing time without a purpose. Even the way we talk about unstructured time seems designed to make us feel shamed for not making use of every minute: We “waste” or “spend” time, as if it’s a dollar we’re throwing in the trash. 

After having the good fortune to take some time away from work in May to be with my adults kids and husband, though, I feel more aware of how valuable “wasting” time can be. Sitting outside with a friend and chatting about nothing in particular. Going on a walk together without a destination. Wiling away an afternoon with someone, just because you want to be in that person’s presence. 

There’s no “waste” here. By doing nothing, we do so much, including deepening our relationships and creating community. We’re building trust. We’re making the kinds of connections we rely on, as Alaskans. 

It’s summer. Go waste some time on the people and places you love. 

Thank you for all you do,

Gretchen Guess 
President and CEO