Simple Things #16

Here are 5 magically mundane things I've loved this week...

(I got the shot above from a wild lightning storm that happened during a beach photoshoot this week)

Hello friends! Ah, this energy of the summer is SO outward for me. I don’t like to use the word busy, but I feel like I’ve been caught up in such frenzied energy for the past month or so. I think that’s just the nature of the season. Lots of time spent outside, lots of late nights with the toddler, lots of time in the pool and on very hot walks, lots of time with friends and family. Not a lot of routine. Not a lot of slow, which as you know is very much my mantra.

I always find summer energy to be fun at first, but after a few weeks I just get drained. I’m ready for those cozy nights at home with a bowl of soup and a candle lit, our simple routines and days, and a bit more structure. I’ve had two of my closest friends in town for the least few weeks though and that has truly been energizing for me. There’s something so potent about getting together with childhood friends who just get you and spending time in sisterhood together. My heart is always so full after that time.

The yin and the yang of summer. It’s definitely a wonderfully outward energetic season filled with spontaneity and joy, but I’m really rooted into my inner hermit winter energy and can’t wait for fall. How are you doing with this season?

Anyhoo, onto this week’s simple things…

1. You probably know by now that I’m a personal development freak. I am always taking some course or doing some mentorship or trying to grow in some way. The past few months I’ve been deep in learning about becoming a Priestess, the history of Priestesses, and have had my world blown around by it. I had honestly never heard of a Priestess (other than the High Priestesses in the Wiccan religion) until I came across Sarah Jenks on Instagram, who shares about her work as an Ordained Priestess for the Sacred Feminine. I’ve since joined her moonthly membership, Holy Woman, and am absolutely loving the course she teaches and her new moon ceremonies. SO GOOD! If you’re like, huh, what in the world is that? I would definitely recommend exploring Sarah’s website and getting some of her freebies.

2. My sister moved to Denver earlier this year and something about the long distance between us just feels so hard. We are almost five years apart so we always got along really well growing up then my mom homeschooled us so we spent every day of our childhood together, so not seeing her on a regular basis feels like a dagger in the heart. Thankfully, I am meeting her tomorrow in Michigan because one of my oldest friends is getting married and we are going to have a girl’s weekend together to celebrate! I can’t wait to spend time with her, just the two of us as well as enjoy my sweet friend’s new marriage. Thankfully, my mom, Maverick, and I are also flying up to Denver in August to spend a week with my sister while her fiancé is out of town, so I’ll get to see her lots over the next few months.

3. I know I’ve spoken about this in another post already, but I truly can’t believe how fast Maverick is growing. She turns two in October and it just feels like she has developed SO MUCH in the past few months. Matt was showing me some pictures of her that popped up on his phone from 6 months ago and it’s wild to see her developing into such an incredible little lady. I instantly started crying because I miss babyhood and am also so excited about all these new milestones she’s hitting. Motherhood is such a trip.

4. When we were in Switzerland in June, my parents and I wandered across a really cool journal shop in one of the towns we were visiting. It was called Bookbinders Design and is a Swedish company with very strong sustainability ethics. All the paper used is harvested from carefully-sourced trees in Sweden. Overall, it was a wonderful store with really beautiful journals and paper works. We each bought a journal with mine reading, “energy flows where attention goes” and I have been filling the pages rapidly ever since. Now that we’re in toddlerhood, I’ve been trying to carve out some time for myself again so have been journaling and tarot pulling each morning just to set myself up for the day. It has felt really nice.

5. I absolutely loved reading this post from Nelly about how she journals her menstrual cycle. I have been wanting to track my cycle more and am learning a lot about the different phases, and journaling around each seems like such a good idea. Definitely check it out!

And there you have it! I’d love to know what magically mundane thing you’ve experienced this week that has brought you joy.