Savoring Summer
with intentionality
Last winter, I practiced embracing the darkness, coziness, and bleakness that can be winter. Influenced by my trip to Amsterdam, I went full-on hygge. I lit candles throughout the house, turned on low lights in the evenings, indulged in hearty soups, ate mostly seasonal produce, picked out a real Christmas tree, baked, foraged for pine cones, read classic literature, and went outside daily despite the cold. It was a beautiful practice, leaning fully into a season I typically despise as a Ghanaian native.
I learned from this experience that slow living during a season means identifying what that season feels and looks like for me and intentionally doing those activities or the season will slip away quickly. For me “summering” means being outside - eating, sitting, reading in the slowest, most relaxing way. Savoring all the things summer brings, such as the bounty of flowers, the sweetest fruits, juicy tomatoes and vegetables, and especially corn on the cob. My trips to the farmer’s market are a must in the summer; I forgo sleeping in to get to the market. If you are caught slippin one weekend, you miss peach season. It’s a serious game, juicy fruits and flavorful produce make my summer, summer.
Summer also means gathering with friends and family on some grass, taking in sunsets, listening to music, drinking wine, or sitting by the lake, where we recently spent a few lazy days. We sat by the lake for hours, ate loads of cherries, sketched, drank wine, kayaked, and star gazed. It all felt so good and reinforced the idea that summer is a feeling. The feeling that nothing is more important than the sun on your face and sticky mango fingers especially at a time where the world is overflowing with stimuli and news headlines.
There’s still plenty of summer left, and I’m determined to savor every last bit of it this final month. In a world that constantly demands our attention, finding intentional ease and slowness is the antidote we all need.
Love your post! I’ve experienced some of the same feelings when it comes to embracing each season, especially when it comes to summer. I try to soak in as much as the sun as possible! Even small things like taking a walk at sunset helps me stay present and appreciate the little things.
Ah I feel much the same about the cold and dark season of winter—last time I worked so hard to learn how fully appreciate it instead of resent it…here’s hoping those memories will help me on the upcoming season. But for now, aahh late summer :) Enjoyed this post, thank you!