10 Things I Learned This Summer

As summer is winding down, I'm grateful for a moment to reflect on what I've learned this season. If you're visiting from Emily P. Freeman's where we share What We Learned as a community each quarter, welcome!

Here are 10 things, some serious and some silly, that I have learned this summer.

1. I will not regret neglecting dishes and laundry and making dinner in order to soak up every moment of summer goodness.

I often get to August and feel like we haven't taken full advantage of the summer. Does this happen to you? Well, this summer we made it happen.

We lounged at the pool. We went to the water park. Multiple times. We had park playdates. We went camping and kayaking. We spent lots and lots of time at the beach. And we had ice cream for dinner an obscene amount of times. 

I didn't do a lot of cooking. I didn't do a lot of cleaning. Finding a dry towel was a daily challenge. But I'm so glad we made the most of these sunny summer days. And I'm hoping maybe, just maybe the fact that we lived it up to the fullest this summer will make the long, gray New England winter just a little more bearable. 

I'm ready for pumpkin spice lattes and flannel and slow evenings stirring a simmering pot of soup. We've taken advantage of everything summer has to offer and now I'm fully ready to enjoy what the next season brings.  

2. I actually do like the Red Sox.

We are not a sports family. Despite living in a city that practically worships the New England Patriots, I haven't watched the Super Bowl in over a decade. I don't follow any sports teams. It's just not my thing.

As a result, we take our kiddos to our local minor league baseball stadium once a summer to watch a game, but that's pretty much the extent of our athletic involvement. For the year. 

This summer, however, we were presented with free tickets to a Red Sox game, so the kids and I made the crowded subway ride into Boston for a Friday night game. And can I just say this sports cynic was unexpectedly dazzled? Walking into Fenway Park it was impossible not to be wowed. You could feel the magic in the air. The fact that we had amazing seats and 

3. If your child asks for a mohawk, get her a mohawk!

My six-year-old spent the last several months dropping not so subtle hints that she would like a mohawk. Her brother has hair down past his shoulders so clearly we are okay with outside the box hair choices, but for some reason the idea of shaving my baby girls head gave me pause. It shouldn't have. When I finally accepted that this was not a passing whim, we scrolled some pictures online and made an appointment at the salon. My daughter walked away with a super cute cut that suits her 1000%. Her joy was palpable as she tingled with delight for days afterward and admired herself in the mirror approximately a hundred times a day. I'm so glad we said yes to the mohawk.

4. There are certain books that I cannot resist buying for our neighborhood Little Free Library.

I've come to accept that I will never be able to walk away from a copy of Miss Rumphius at our local used bookstore. Same for Make Way for Ducklings, The Snowy Day, Blueberries for Sal, and Last Stop on Market Street. I just cannot do it. Do you have one of these delightful little book boxes in your area? They really are a treat.

5. We have failed the Native American community in devastating ways.

I knew our society wasn't great in its relations with the Native American community. But this summer I've awakened to the fact that we are truly terrible in our treatment of the indigenous population in America to this very day. I'm listening and learning and growing more heart broken at every turn. If you haven't taken the time to listen to the indigenous voices crying out for healing in our country, may I suggest watching this video by Native American Presidential candidate, Mark Charles (whether or not you vote for him, his message deserves a place in our national conversation), or reading one of these 25 Books By Indigenous Authors, or educating yourself about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This community needs us to hear them and not turn away.

6. There is a lot more to estate planning than simply having a will.

A few years ago when we got our will in place, I felt a huge sense of relief. If something happened to us, my babies would be safe and loved. But recently I've discovered there is a lot more I can do to make sure that they feel mothered and cared for in tangible ways even if I'm gone. I'm grateful to Rachel Rainbolt for pointing the way with this beautiful article of hers. Here's a taste for you:

I know it's not fun to put energy toward preparing for your death. I get it. But none of us knows what tomorrow holds. If you and your partner get hit by a bus tomorrow, will your children be swept into an extension of your legacy of love and care or will they be lost in a mess feeling abandoned? After living this out as an adult with the passing of my mother, I felt panic at the reality that I had not prepared for the care of my children in a world without me in it. Now I feel such a deep sense of peace. My legacy of love and care will live on for my children beyond my body. What a gift.

I'm working my way through Rachel's list of areas to address and feeling much more complete in my preparations.

7. On a lighter note, I am decidedly a middle of the brownie girl. 

I have spent my entire life thinking I was an edge of the brownie person. But one day this summer when I left a pan of freshly baked brownies cooling on the kitchen table and my little one decided to carve it up into puzzle pieces and eat most of the edges, I discovered the magic that is the middle of the brownie. How have I been missing out on this goodness all my life?

8. I can have a skincare routine and actually enjoy it.

Can I confess that I am thirty-five years old and up until this summer I never cared for my skin in any meaningful way? I occasionally washed my face with soap and water. If I felt like it. Even that was a rare occurrence. What can I say? It just wasn't a priority.

But that all changed when I heard Sarah from Pantsuit Politics describe her skincare routine. P.S. If you are not following these ladies on Instagram you are missing out!  Sarah's routine is loosely based on Jamie Golden's 10 Step Skincare Routine which is a great resource if you are completely ignorant of all things skincare like I was. Now I certainly didn't commit to ten steps. I started with just one: cleanser. But I was shocked that washing my face, which I'd always viewed as a chore, actually felt like a lovely little moment of pampering at the end of my day. I soon added a serum and even experimented with face masks. Who am I becoming?!

Also, I've yet to find a face mask that I love. My skin did not love the Trader Joe's mask Sarah raves about. So if you have a favorite, tell me about it in the comments please!

9. There are lots of ways to support creatives you love without spending a dime.

One of my current dilemmas is that there are so many people putting out great content I love, and I want to support them all, but if I were to give to them all on Patreon, even at just a dollar a month each, my budget would soon be sunk. This has led me to think about ways I can support the artists and authors and podcasters I love without breaking the bank. Turns out there are a lot. Here are some that I've come up with so far.

• Follow them on social media and give their posts some love with your likes, comments and shares
• Subscribe to their email list (surprisingly this matters a lot!)
• Tell your friends why you love their content. In this high tech world, word of mouth is still the most powerful currency. 
• If they're an author, request that your local library carry their book
• Also, leave a review for them on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble or Christianbook. This takes only a few minutes. One sentence can be a review! But it is super helpful to an author.

Anything else I should add to my list?

10. If there was ever any doubt, I am definitely an Enneagram One!

This video sealed the deal for me. Scheduled spontaneity all the way. Enjoy!