Life Lately: July 2022
At the beautiful Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown, NH
I had planned to write this edition of Life Lately after a long day at the beach, in my favorite place in the world. Instead, I am home recovering from a bad cold, which led to a cancelled vacation. I am reminding myself that it is okay to be disappointed and have perspective. After a very long 2.5 years, I have finally started to get out in the world a bit more. I have created a lot of fun memories this summer, and while this vacation has turned into a stay-in-bed-cation, it is truly all good.
All things considered, July has been a really good month. My best friend Amanda (and her wonderful fiancé and dog) came for the Fourth of July weekend, and we had a wonderful visit. We spent a day in Newburyport, had a girl’s night out, and hosted a 4th of July/Birthday BBQ for my mom. The next weekend was decidedly quieter, before heading off to Amanda’s Bachelorette the following weekend in Rhode Island. The last time I had a weekend getaway with friends was when I was pregnant with my daughter in 2019, so it was a welcome trip and an absolute blast. I rounded out the month with a ‘Fun Friday’ in Boston, Adriana’s first playdate, a beautiful wedding at a Vineyard, and alas, a cold. Here is what’s on my mind this month:
Watching/Listening/Reading: My absolute favorite of the month was The Bear. I have just watched the first two episodes of Rap Sh!t on HBO, I’m halfway through the new season of Virgin River, and saw The Girl in the Picture. I got a ton of great recommendations on IG, so excited to watch more while I’m home this week. I read and enjoyed The Paris Apartment and finally finished season four of CounterClock.
My Summer of Re-Alignment: I recently wrote a post about my garden. If you missed it, the gist was this: our lives - like our gardens - need to be tended to. While a garden needs adequate water, sunlight, and for weeds to be removed - our lives also need that same level of care. We need to make sure we are nourishing our minds, bodies, and souls. And, we must remove the things that no longer serve us, to create space for the “fruit and vegetables” to grow. As I continue to navigate a summer that started with utter burnout, I find myself coming back to this notion again and again. I’m taking stock of what nourishes me, and I’m identifying the “weeds” that need to be pulled in order to create space for better things.
101 in 1001: I’m just over one year into my first 101 in 1001 list, and am slowly making progress. What I love most about this process has been the fact that this is a landing place for me to come back to, every month, to re-focus on what is most important to me. Sure, there are a few things I might change if I were building the list from scratch today, but I also don’t expect to do every single one (okay, okay - I do hope that I can, but I know some of it is beyond my control!). Added this month? I took a weekend getaway with friends and I finally received my certification as a meditation and mindfulness teacher. YAY!
