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
’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
’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.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!
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
Wishing you all the five-star reads,
Katherine
Love your summer vision board so so much
love this message so, SO much! yes, let's just bask in the little good moments and fun things and joys of summer! this newsletter did serve a purpose because it reminded me to do exactly that, as i shove watermelon into my face and try to read in a rare moment when both kids are napping! in my personal unsolicited opinion, the aperol spritz + new bookstore + root beer floats + beach reading are the best!