I am nearing the first full year of living in my house. I have experienced one of every day here. A birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Thanksgiving, leaves falling, leaves budding. Each day is new. And each day here still feels like a miracle.
But many days are scary. The reality of a real, grown up mortgage still catches my breath. And personal and work stress have been very close this year. Many of the things I was planning to really enjoy at my new house aren’t realities – except for the magical Saturday mornings I go from fitful sleep to my home office. No slow mornings on my treehouse deck. No walking to downtown Parkville to grab a cup of coffee or lunch. No staring outside my big windows at the big trees.
It is summer. And the solstice milestone is shaking me. There is this one life. This one chance to find joy. And so today I wrote my summer rules…
- Only read Wodehouse. And maybe Things Fall Apart or The Year of Magical Thinking.
- Listen to lots of live albums. And disco. And Nathaniel Rateliffe.
- Drink a cup of hot, sweet tea outside every morning.
- Embrace the heat to remind myself that I am alive and being alive is a miracle.
- Stitch all the things.
- Stretch all the time.
- Check in with myself every hour. That I am maintaining boundaries, releasing stress, slowing down, staying present.
- Moisturize and hydrate.
- Get outside every day.
- Take a field trip every week.
Summer Rules!
weeknight quilting 