The Ease of Summer
Happy Juneteenth!
Let’s catch up! How are you?
A lot has happened in the last couple of months since we last met. As always, time seems to go by so quickly. In the past three months, I finished my second semester of grad school, traveled to the Bahamas for my beautiful line sister’s wedding, and finished the Broad Street Run with my mom. This past week I came back from a 10-day trip to Italy and returned by way of London.
Though my summer is off to a hot start, I do not have much planned for the rest of it. As I am writing this, my only plan for this weekend is to rest. A year ago, I had my full summer planned and every weekend accounted for. When I came back from Europe last year, I went to a concert that weekend and then had a trip to Aruba two weeks after that. My summer was full and fast pace, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I find summer freeing. The season allows for ease, as work slows down and vacations begin for many. There are more beach days and long weekends, like this one. The warmth and humidity bring a sluggish nature to the city. It also brings the longest day of the year and I revel at the sun remaining in the sky past 8 pm.
I want this summer to have more slow weekends and local activities. I also want to build a routine with a focus on rest.
We’ve been here before. Resting is not something I am great at. I hate the feeling of not having anything to do. I feel guilty, like there is always something I can be doing. And I guess, there is always something that can be done. I ultimately want to become comfortable with having very little to do. In doing so, I have to remind myself that the absence of responsibilities does not mean I am less responsible. It does not mean that I am not succeeding. In some ways, success is having the ability to rest. I am finding there is usually a busy season and a slow season, and I often choose not to sit in the ebbs and flows.
In choosing rest, I can also find it in low-lift activities. A few months ago, I wrote down a list of activities that give me joy and help me recenter. It included writing, painting, and embroidery. My hobbies are restful when I let go of personal pressure. Creating without purpose allows me to step outside of the box that is in my head and move toward true creativity. Sometimes I stress over a page in my sketchbook that isn’t complete or composed, but the point of having a sketchbook is for experimentation. I also love aimless long walks. I used to walk with my film camera with no destination and I have not done that in a very long time. In the spirit of slow weekends and local activities, here are a couple of summer bucket list items I want to cross off.
Take this with you:
Lean into the season. Allow the freedom of summer to ease your mind. Slow down and embrace the sun. What are low-lift activities that are restful to you?
On another note:
I’ve taken some time to revisit Of Love and Light’s blog page. I encourage you to poke around. I will continue to update the blog with a variety of posts ranging in topics.
Here are some written in the past month:
Additionally, there’s a place to submit your thoughts! Maybe you have something you want to share or a situation you need advice on. Maybe you want to take a stab at writing your own reflection. All are welcome. This space is for you! I’ll also continue using Substack for this newsletter while supplementing the website. The Substack platform has created new features to continue the conversation outside of email within their notes and chat functions. You can download the app for the full experience. I’m in the process of figuring out how it can work best for us! Regardless, you can always respond to this email.