Notes from July
This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 8/9/21.
Last week, I stumbled upon this podcast titled A Late Summer Reflection. It was a brief (6 minutes!) and as I listened, I found myself resonating with the below musings about the month of July:
“Be honest, do you have a complicated relationship with July?,” the podcast host asks.
“Like the quintessential middle child, July stands between the young excitement of June and the seasoned wisdom of August. Holding the tension of work and play, planning and reflection, refusing to make a full choice.”
I had never thought of July in this way, but there is some truth to it. For many of us, last month was a balancing act of working when we would rather be playing, or trying to not think about work while trying to relax.
Whatever July means to you, I hope last month was filled with some joyful, fun and restorative summer moments. As I’ve done at the end of each month this year, I took time to jot down a quick list of things I want to remember about last month. Sharing my notes below in case you are curious or feel inspired to jot down a quick list for yourself.
July’s 10 Notes:
- We had the most amazing celebration of life for my grandma, and I’m so thankful for the time I was able to spend with family. I wrote some stream-of-consciousness thoughts here about the experience and I already know that weekend will be one of the things I cherish most about this year. I still miss my grandma so much that it hurts, but I’m so thankful I was able to see so many family members and be together with people who all knew her so well.
- I took a week off work! My mom was staying at my grandma’s for a while longer after the celebration of life weekend, so I decided to stay the following week with her. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up spending the summers at my grandma’s house, but there is something about her house that is so relaxing to me. It was really nice to completely turn off, recharge, and spend quality time with my mom.
- My favorite book I read this month was definitely Malibu Rising. I know this book is getting a lot of hype this summer, but in my opinion, it’s for good reason! I loved it. It easily captures your attention and is so enjoyable to read. I didn’t want it to end!
- Loved having my two best friends in Chicago for a weekend. Two of my best friends from college have visited me in Chicago almost every year since I moved here. Of course, last year’s visit was put on hold and because of schedules, I thought only one of them would be visiting me this year. That is until the other one showed up and completely surprised me!! It was just the best.
- I’m making progress on my Summer Fun List! I hosted a rosé wine tasting with friends in July, which was a blast, and made it to the farmers market on a Wednesday afternoon. Only one more month left to cross things off!
- Speaking of summer, I’m trying my best to soak up all of Chicago’s sunny, warm weather while I can. June was a bit rainy, and of course, there’s been hot July days, but we’ve also been blessed with quite a string of 75-and-sunny days. Whether it’s a quick walk in between meetings or grabbing a glass of wine at an outdoor patio after work, I’m trying to get out of my apartment at least daily to enjoy the summer temperament.
- One of my favorite ways to spend time outside this month was taking long walks on Sunday. There was one Sunday where I walked over 7 miles and listened to almost every episode in this podcast series. It was glorious!
- One of my best friends had a baby!! I’m so amazed by her and happy for her and her husband . I remember when they met in college and now they are married with a baby girl… so crazy!
- I treated myself to a facial this month and it felt so indulgent! I think this was the second facial I’ve ever gotten… and I loved it. I also learned a lot about my skin! I went to Leah Chavie and would highly recommend her. She has locations in both Chicago (Gold Coast area) and Bradenton, FL!
- I think I’m interested in doing some kind of “digital detox” in September… I’m reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism right now and am finding his concepts really interesting (Deep Work is next on my list!). I would love to get better at expanding my attention span and not automatically reaching for my phone whenever I find myself between things (such as right before a meeting or while I wait for the elevator). With the fresh-start-feeling that September inherently brings, it feels like it would be a perfect time to try something like this. Thinking on it!
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