Relearning how To Summer

The past month has been filled with breakfasts at home, dusky sunsets, impossibly blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds, icy cocktails, chilled glasses of rosé, A LOT of ice cream (I have been on a big kick of mint chocolate chip ice cream, a childhood favorite), time outside, taking dips in the ocean, going to the pool, walking on the beach flowers, a new journal, dinners with loved ones, Pub Subs scarfed down in the car because you can’t wait to eat until you get home, and attempting to slow down. It has been pretty hectic for us lately and if I am honest, I am feeling pretty worn down.

Will’s work schedule has been pretty wonky, I have preached and led worship several times, and my work has led me through a season heavy with grief. My body has a tendency to hold on to all the grief and stress so I have found exhausted by mid-week (usually that level of fatigue doesn’t happen till Friday). When I feel groggy and worn down, and struggling to wake up on time—I know I need to try a different self-care intervention.

This week, feeling physically achey from the amount of tension I was carrying around and fuzzy in my head from holding other’s emotional energy all I wanted to do was go home and immediately get into my bathtub and veg out. However, I knew that was not going to alleviate all that I was feeling. So, I decided to make some space in my body and mind—I did this by making myself do 30 minutes of yoga. Syncing my breath with the movements helped clear my head, open up my heart, and release the tension I was holding in my body. I created space, while I was still fatigued afterward, I felt so much better than I did beforehand. That night I did end up taking a bath and slept really well.

Caring for myself well and living into each day (not just waiting for the weekends) has been a big theme for me this summer. Will and I have made an effort to do more things that are fun, I have started to wear “real clothes” instead of workout clothes when we go to Costco or run errands—little shifts in my routine have allowed me to feel more like myself, like I have spent my time wisely, gifting myself with presence.

When you are a child, it is easy to live into the magical moments of summer. I would spend hours playing outside, no matter the heat, days filled with delight and adventure. As an adult, I have become more and more resistant to summer, choosing to stay inside, lay on the couch in the air conditioning. You can only do this so much, till it starts being counterproductive. Will and I reached that point and so we have spent the last month relearning how to summer. Going to the pool, going to the beach, swimming, eating lots of ice cream, having fun wearing our summer clothes and my soul is feeling more and more full.

I am big on the concept of romanticizing your life here and now, how it is, making little changes to everyday routines to gift yourself moments of presence, pleasure, and joy! We are trained to think that summer ends in August, because school goes back in session, however adult summer knows that summer won’t end till mid-September, so I am here trying to soak up all the moments and enjoy being a summering adult!

Here’s to finishing out this summer strong!

Peace,

Margaret

PS: I am going to link some of my summer favorites—because sharing is truly caring.

My favorite sunnies this summer have been these; surprisingly sturdy for such an affordable price. I have them in the gold rimmed and tortoise shell rim.

All my bathing suits have come from amazon and I have loved this one.

The real MVP of this summer has been this sunless tanner. I use this mitt to apply it. I typically put it on after I shower in the evening and sleep in it. Be mindful, it can stain sheets, it doesn’t take much to remove it from the sheets but I have bronzed some of our white sheets with my fake tan!

I typically paint my own nails and I have been very into a red/orange color. I love Olive and June’s “Kiss Cam” such a good color and I have gotten into the Dazzle Dry system with “Red Hot Chili” being another great summer red nail polish.

Hot tip: I find that three coats of Dazzle Dry color with two coats of their top coat give me a pigmented nail color with a smooth, shiny finish. For Olive and June, their top coat is magic but make sure to follow their instructions allowing for full dry time. With both systems, if I do them intentionally I can get about 4-5 days without significant chips. This is a win for me with the amount of hand washing and sanitizing I do at work.