3 Summer Intentions

Family time, mindfulness and body positivity

Hello again!

It’s been a minute. For the past few months, I haven’t been writing. Instead, I’ve been playing in the pool with my kids during spring break, clinking frosty glasses of champagne to celebrate ten years of marriage to my husband, and frolicking with dear friends up and down the western United States. I’ve also surrendered to the joyful consumption of fluff (reality tv, Instagram, etc) and generally reveled in frivolity.

This abdication of all things “real life” was quite the privilege.

Honeymoon round two left no time for real life.

As the school year wraps up, it feels like a good time to refocus and set summer intentions. I’ve learned that these proclamations do - indeed - keep me accountable. Even if no one else is tracking my goals, the fact that I’ve sent a plan into the ether inspires me to stick with it.

Intention 1: Family Time

This summer, we plan to thoughtfully invest in time with the kids. They are exceptionally awesome and the years are flying by, so I’m hoping to slowwww down and soak them up. To start, we carefully crafted a schedule that balances a few camps with time at home and travel.

During at-home time, I want to balance free play with activities. I know kids need to be bored, but there is only so much boredom-induced sibling-on-sibling-crime that I can bear, so I plan to sprinkle in some other stuff, too. This includes:

• Cooking basics

• Gardening skills

• Housework skills (like laundry)

• Outings: zoo, museums, farmer’s market

• Outdoor time: hiking, forts, s’mores, water balloon fights

I’ve also curated an epic Pinterest games + crafts board. I’m not naturally crafty - so this part of my plan feels deeply aspirational - but perhaps that gene will kick in by June…? (Delusional) hope springs eternal!

On my list so far:

• Pinecone bird feeders

• Painting/decorating rocks

• Scavenger hunts

• Tissue paper sun catchers

• Mod podge flower decor

• Educational games like Making Change, Checkers, Sum Swamp, etc

I do anticipate that I’ll be ready for a lengthy spa stay come the start of school, but until then - I am excited to make the most of our short summer months together.

Intention 2: Mindfulness

During the aforementioned abdication of all things “real life”, I abandoned mindfulness practices, tracking the news, and basically everything intellectual (again, I’ll emphasize that this was a huge privilege).

If I’m going to thrive during this summer, it’s vital I reinstate a routine that supports mental health, gratitude, and concern for the world. I plan to do this by:

• Bricking my phone

• Volunteering: Girls on the Run, Greentrike, and anti-racism efforts in the community

• Reading the news and donating to important causes

• Reinstating mindfulness practices (meditation, waking up before the kids, walking/cooking/gardening in silence)

My garden = my mindfulness haven

Intention 3: Body Positivity

In a world full of GLP-1s, discussing bodies feels exceptionally fraught. It is an incredibly nuanced and personal topic. I have a long list of thoughts, but haven’t spent nearly enough time percolating to pen an appropriately articulate and loving essay.

So for now, I’ll say is this: I believe in science and medicine. I believe GLP-1s are an essential tool in today’s world, where it is - BY DESIGN - extremely difficult to stay healthy. The cost of fresh produce and quality protein is astronomical. Food deserts are increasingly more prevalent. If you can find and afford something decent to eat, it’s difficult to eke out the time to prepare it. All this in the face of highly processed, addictive foods which are constantly advertised, cheap and widely available. And then there are genes! We all have different genes, different bodies, and different minds.

Suffice to say, I believe in and whole-heartedly endorse the use of any and all medicines to stay healthy.

But that seems to be the crux of it - health.

GLP-1s are fabulous to counterbalance all of the unhealthy junk this world tosses our way. But I’m a little freaked out by all the celebrities we are watching become skeletal… and it’s like, just fine?

People are shrinking and - for the most part (health!!!!) - you do you. I support it! And I love you.

But I also feel compelled to share that I am not using GLP-1s and occasionally struggle with body image. I’m the heaviest I’ve been in my adult life (except for pregnancy) because I’ve been focusing on gaining muscle, and it’s working. At the same time - ironically (?) - I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been. Thyroid is thriving, bones are hella dense, muscles be building, ferritin stores are where they should be, and all of my important systems are a go.

It’s just a weird mind-eff to be healthy but “bigger” in a world where being skinny is once again becoming an inescapable ideal. I mean, the body positivity movement of a few years ago has just… evaporated?! Ooof. Aaaack. Booo. (No tragic sound seems to capture my utter disappointment here).

Special shout out to the gym I attend - Vie - for celebrating strength and womanhood. Here we are at a mommy-daughter workout.

It’s not easy, but I’m really working on body positivity this summer. I’m aiming to embrace the muscles and forget the early aughts urge to be super skinny. Over the next few months, I want my daughter to see me in my bikini, running around the beach on my strong legs, tossing kids into the pool with my buff arms, and laughing with my core muscles, focused on enjoying life rather than the way I look (easier said than done when bikini-clad).

Wish me luck.

Conclusion

I’ll check back at some point with an update, but make no promises about posting routinely. Instead, I hope to be fully immersed in the glory of a little kid summer, reveling in mindfulness practices, and/or raging on the beach in my swimsuit. I wish a wonderful summer for you, too!