5 super simple things that are making life better this summer
The word cherries keeps rolling around in my head. Cherries, cherries, cherries. Cherries! They’re such a decadent fruit, not really practical at all.
You can hardly enjoy them without staining your fingers, they have those ridiculous pits, and they’re ripe for about five minutes out of the year.
I don’t even have any cherries at the moment, they’re just stuck in my head. I would like my summer to be a little bit like those cherries–i.e. purposeful and juicy, even if it doesn’t last forever.
The cherries, in other words, have me thinking about how to make this summer feel the way I want it to feel. Personally, I want to be creative, energized, and replenished this season. The replenishing can come in between the creative and the energized. This will totally work. I hope.
(If you like the idea of thinking about how you want this season to feel–and then going after it!–make sure to grab your free copy of the Simpler Summer Guide. It’ll help. Pinky swear.)
Here are few things that are helping with the replenishing so far.
Summer tea
Whenever I have tea with my friend Megan, she brews this delicious elderberry tea. Every time, I plan to pick up a box to drink at my own house. Every time, I forget before I get home.
This week I finally remembered AND ordered some for myself. (I’m still obsessed with this other tea, too.) I am going to be berry-tea-refreshed for days.
Sun Recovery Spray
We’ve been using this solar recovery spray for years now, ever since a friend gifted us some. I was super stingy with that first bottle because: What were we going to do when we ran out??
Thankfully I discovered we could just order it ourselves. Now we use it constantly, because some of us turn into lobsters if we even think about the sun too hard. And just like that, sunburn stress is gone. Or at least… lessened. I’ll take that.
Summer Reading
At the beginning of this year, I gave myself a New Year’s reading list. My list had a theme and everything. Guess what happened? I actually read the books. All in a row. It was fantastic.
Now I want to give myself a summer reading list. My 2018 summer reading list includes this memoir, and this novel, and this one, all recommended by Anne in the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide.
So far I think my summer reading theme is “good books.” Can that be a theme?
(Update: my 2019 summer reading list!)
Slowing Down
In between projects and family time, I’m giving myself permission to slow way down. That looks like taking a break from some of my usual writing, and giving myself a pass when I can’t get to everything. That way I’m able to actually be creative and energized the rest of the time.
I’d like to report that this somehow means I go to bed earlier at night, but so far it just means I read later. Unsurprisingly, I am fine with this.
Three Things
Every summer, our family chooses three things to focus on for the season. We know we can’t do everything under the sun (ha! summer pun), so we pick three things, and we DO THOSE THINGS. (You can read all about this idea in the Simpler Summer Guide.)
This summer we’re all about the pool, ice cream, and late-afternoon movie time—and letting go of all the other options for the days has been totally freeing.
How about you?
What’s refueling you this summer? Got ideas for me? Hit me up on Facebook or Instagram. I’d love to hear.
