NYC Notes #3: A Collection of Good Things

Just a random list of what I'm loving this summer

Hi there! It’s been a minute since I shared any writing on Substack, and to be honest, I was struggling with what I wanted to write next. There’s so much incredible content on this site, and I love reading and engaging with all of my favorite writers here. But I’ve also been putting a lot of pressure on myself to churn out beautifully written Substack posts that provide value in some way. So for the past few weeks, I’ve been staring at a blank draft, unsure what to write about and feeling like a bit of a fraud in this space.

But then I reminded myself that I created this Substack as a creative outlet, as a space to stretch my writing muscle and capture my favorite things. So I decided to think about what’s been important for me right now.

This summer, I’ve been thinking a lot more intentionally about embracing this season. Usually I’m not the biggest fan of summer (because I hate being hot), but I was first inspired by

Jo Bratt

’s post to create a summer bucket list. She challenged me not to just include the “big” moments of summer (the European vacations we see all over social media or the big celebrations and parties) but to focus on the small snippets of summer that can bring so much joy. The items on my list are as small as eating cherries on the park, or making ice cream sundaes, or reading on the roof but they still make a big impact on my overall happiness. By focusing more intentionally on the small good things, I’ve embraced this season wholeheartedly, and while I’ll always be an autumn girlie at heart, I’m no longer wishing summer to be over.

I was also inspired by

Kayla Kleinman

’s post about creating a digital summer vision board, as a reminder to embrace the season every time I picked my phone. Though I’m not the most visually creative person, I made a collage of some of my favorite photos on Pinterest, and I can’t wait to create new ones for each changing season.

My summer lock screen, which I created from my photos and some Pinterest photos

So after thinking about my relationship with summer and my move to embrace the small things, I thought about a potential Substack idea: What if I just listed all the good things about my summer so far? It’s definitely not the most innovative post idea, but it brought me so much joy to sift through my photos and memories to pull out these moments, and I hope it inspires you to soak up these last few weeks of summer and embrace the good things!

Some of my favorite summer moments

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Watermelon carpaccio at Plado Tasting Bar

The first juicy nectarine of the season

7/11 Slurpees during a heat wave

Dancing in the rain at a high school friend’s wedding

Free taco bowls at work

Views of Manhattan from an airplane window

Drinking an Aperol Spritz poolside

Browsing a local bookstore for the first time

Eating pasta salad on the rooftop

A sourdough loaf that actually rises in the oven

$9 happy hour wine at Bibi Wine Bar

Cracking open a cold cider can

Believing that it all might work out instead

Snacking on cherries in the park

A Summer Friday with no plans

Central Park’s specific shade of green

Lunch break walks

Planning summer trips with my best friend

Blue hydrangeas from Trader Joe’s

Stumbling across a jazz night in the park

Double rainbows on a road trip

Summer wine tastings

Celebrating Bookstagram milestones

Pesto, mozzarella, and fresh tomatoes

Catching up over tropical cocktails

Root beer floats with homemade vanilla ice cream

Night swims in the pool

Finishing a book on the beach

A birthday cake decorated with edible flowers

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Wishing you all the five-star reads,

Katherine

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