Hi July.
Here is a song I like called July. Disclaimer: it’s not really a summer bop.
Sundays have been sneaking up on me. I feel like people usually talk about slowing down in the summer, but for me, it always seems like everything speeds up. I’m deliberately trying to combat that, but even still the days are flying.
Speaking of slowing down, I hosted my first virtual mindfulness meetup last week & it was amazing to spend an hour with people doing some short meditations & guided journaling. If you want to join the next one it will be on 7/10 at 6:00EST and we will be exploring the Element of Air and Letting Go. More deets are here.
In a similar fashion to last Sunday’s newsletter, here is a brain dump from my last week.
What have you been up to?
7 Things For This Sunday
Watch: I love a good art heist doc. The Thief Collector follows the 1985 theft & recovery of a painting stolen in Arizona.
Listen: Martha Beck’s The Gathering Pod episode from this week (Calm Down, We Can Do Both!) was full of great reminders for me. She talked about how when we are in a state of calm it allows us to then come up with creative ways to get all we yearn for.
Ebbing & Flowing: This weekend & upcoming week pack a lot of emotional charge for me. The 3rd and 4th of July were larger than Christmas in my house, and it will be the first without both my parents. Thursday will also be a year since my mom died. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that just allowing the feelings to come and go is truly the best way to move through the challenging pockets.
Growth: I’ve been spending a lot of time patting myself on the back lately. I think we don’t take enough time to really soak in our victories and growth. 10/10 recommend.
Music: Podcasts have taken a back seat to music lately. It’s a welcome change. I spent last night seeing Ed Sheeran & had a great time.
Delights: I was exhausted at the end of the week, but when I strolled outside to see my Little Free Library teeming with lots of new books, I was ecstatic. It doesn’t get much traffic in the winter, so it’s very exciting to peek at all the new finds this time of year.
Mic-Drop Quote: I came across this scrolling Instagram & it really landed for me:
Being a good steward of your pain. . . . It involves being alive to your life. It involves taking the risk of being open, of reaching out, of keeping in touch with the pain as well as the joy of what happens because at no time more than at a painful time do we live out of the depths of who we are instead of out of the shallows.
Frederick Buechner
» Be a part of the ‘arrive mindful meetups’ I’m running this summer!
»Soak in summer with a little mindfulness scavenger hunt.
»Check out what I’m up to between newsletters. Follow along on Instagram.