In summerrrrrrr!

When I opened up my Substack app on Sunday morning, I saw several posts with the words “romanticizing.” They were all about romanticizing June and finding whimsy in the month ahead.

It seems like those are two words that always manage to pop up in the monthly vision boards and guides and finding the joy in the small things as one draws to a close and another one starts. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used those words a lot lately, as well.

There’s nothing wrong with that, I love and look forward to those things, too.

But, sometimes I wonder if we’re so busy looking for the whimsy and chasing fun that we’re missing reality and the important things happening right in front of us.

I guess that’s where balance falls into place.

We all know the struggles. It’s not hard to find the challenging or the not-so-great, but it can be harder to find the joy. So I guess we’re all just fighting for that a little more at the moment.

To me, June is like a dreamsicle. It’s shades of orange and blue, like sunsets and the ocean. Dreaming of places like Greece or a beach close to home. A boat ride away from shore. Flipping through the pages of a magazine; dog-earing the pages of your favorite spreads and articles, like you’re a teenager again. Staying up into the wee hours of the morning, reading, writing or working on something you’re passionate about. Day trips. Spending time with family for birthdays and get togethers for barbecues and pool hangouts. It’s long conversations over life and love and what’s to come.

But, I’m also coming to terms with the idea that summer might not be filled with Instagrammable moments, like lounging by the pool and I won’t be vacationing on the Amalfi Coast. And that’s okay. It might be messy, chaotic and filled with having to adult by showing up to work for your full-time job or tackling phone calls for doctor’s appointments and all the other things that come with life sometimes.

It’s okay to dream and want to escape for a bit, but I’m reminding myself that there is so much to be lived and witnessed right in the present moment.

That’s all for now,

Shelby