And Let the Summer Begin - Let’s Make Things Feel Effortless, Shall We?
The Unofficial Permission Slip to Let Your Guard Down for the Next Three Months
With Memorial Day behind us, it feels like summer is officially here - even though we can’t technically say it’s summer until June 21. (A date I can’t write without giving my bestie/college roommate Kristin a birthday shoutout.)
Back when I was teaching, summer started only after the kids had left the building, my classroom was officially packed up, and my car was pulling out of the school parking lot with Alice Cooper escorting me off campus.
Nothing - and I repeat - nothing on this earth compares to that feeling.
Ask any teacher.
And now that I work for myself and I no longer have a hard work stop each June, I still feel summer in the air when the world switches to summer mode.
We let our guard down a bit.
We walk barefoot in the grass, not as part of some grounding practice, but because walking barefoot is what you do in summer.
We eat berries, watermelon, and drink lots of water, not because an influencer told us to, but because the season begs us to.
We move more. Meet up with friends. Go on walks.
Children (and adults) play outside.
We expand our brains and travel to new places, investigating new cultures, and trying new foods.
WE REST.
It’s almost like summer is … the ultimate wellness plan.
Am I right?!?
With this in mind, let’s move into summer treating it as such.
Let’s keep things light, be social, and embrace all the ways summer can help us be our best selves… physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Cool?
Because the truth of the matter is… this season is going to go fast.
Way too fast - kind of like life.
Our friend Ferris agrees:
For this week’s selection of links, I’ve curated some simple ways that you can take advantage of the season. Easy, breezy for you to do with as you please.
But before the links, I want to take a moment and acknowledge that today is the 6th anniversary of my dad’s passing. Like summer, the past six years flew by so quickly, and as anyone who has lost a loved one knows - it feels both like yesterday and a thousand years ago since my dad was here on this earth. I do feel his spirit on the golf course, and I swear I hear him telling me things like, “Don’t kill the ball. Keep your head down. Take your time. Do that one again…” And his spirit definitely comes out once a year for the Algiers Goldbug Golf Tournament that he started 36 years ago. The tournament name comes from the Gold Bug, a yellow car manufactured by Kissel Car Company in Hartford, WI., where my parents grew up and lived their entire lives.
The Gold Bug car was a popular two‑passenger (later 4‑passenger) speedster model, introduced around 1919 and produced through most of the 1920s.
My dad wrote about the Goldbug Golf Tournament in his Letters to Louie emails. He explained that he started the tournament to raise money to build an adult care center for those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. Today, the Goldbug raises money to provide medical transportation for those in need of it.
If you live near Hartford, WI and want to play in the event July 7, or would like to sponsor the event, you can find out more here.
Special bonus: readers who sign up to play in or sponsor the event will get a year’s paid subscription to this newsletter! DM me if you go this route!
I know my dad would approve of me using the anniversary of his passing to promote the Goldbug. He was always good at fundraising and getting people to donate to causes… hitting them up when they least expected it. :)
And with that… let the summer begin!
Stay safe, be happy, and hit’em straight!
Abbey
The first link actually reminded me of something my dad told me over and over… “You’ve got to take time for silence. Sit with yourself. Slow down. Meditate. Pray.” When I heard “Make Quiet Time to Hear the Universe and Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay, I knew I had to share it with all of you. It’s pretty darn profound.
Maybe you’ve got summer plans to jet off to the south of France. But in case that’s not in the cards, I’ve got a way you can pretend you are. Join expert Irvina Lew for a little Riviera escape, no plane required. (If her name sounds familiar, maybe you caught this interview in an earlier issue.) Irvina Lew is an author, longtime French teacher, and award-winning food and travel writer who is hosting an online cooking event on Tuesday, June 2 • 5 PM - 6:15 PM CDT.
Here she’ll guide you through a proper Salade Niçoise, homemade aïoli, and a classic vinaigrette, with a Kir Royale to start. It’s thoughtful, technique-driven, and rooted in real French cooking. It’s less than $35 - a bit cheaper than a trip to France, and just as fun!
Speaking of food… tin can protein sources are trending. I’m talking bougie “cod in a can” (forget Prince Edward), and also more affordable favorites like Trader Joe’s Wild Caught Sardines and Natural Catch Brand Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Filets.
Some feel good light and air summer meals from Rainbow Plant Life, a summer grocery haul if you prefer veggies to burgers, an anti-inflammatory grocery list, and a new smoothie bowl I can’t wait to try. (Oh, and this smoothie too.) And, before you grab those Oreos or Doritos, take a look at this perspective-shifter.
And if you’re not sure what to make for dinner, start with Katie Lee Kitchen’s latest podcast episode, “Rachel Mansfield’s Secret to Solving Dinner Every Night.”
Pop Quiz:
What’s more powerful than diet, exercise, or medicine for longevity?
Connection.
This book explains why:
Together. The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek H. Murthy
Keep things light and happy by
