What I Learned this Summer
Summer has flown by! I thought it would feel slow and restful, and there have been moments like that, but I’ve been surprised at how rushed this summer has felt. I’m going to tuck that away and hopefully plan next year a little more carefully. We still have three weeks until the girls go back to school, so we’re going to try and savor these days that remain.
Once again, I’m linking up with Emily, for “What we learned“. In no particular order, 13 things I learned this summer.
1. These six people are my favorite. They see me at my worst, and yet they love me anyway. Living with people day in and day out is tough. Really tough. This summer some messy parts of my heart have been revealed as it pertains to being a wife and mother. I’m thankful for God’s grace and forgiveness, and that He never gives up on us. And I’m thankful for these people that I don’t deserve, but I get to have, for now.
2. I LIKE READING ON A KINDLE! I have resisted electronic reading for several years. There was a good deal recently on the Paperwhite, which Bradley has had for a long time now, and so without my knowledge he bought me one. He also gave me that beautiful brown leather-looking cover. I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy reading on it. And, it definitely makes traveling with books a lot easier.
3. Strength training improves my ability to run. I started the 21 Day Fix program at the end of May and stuck with it pretty well for a couple of weeks. I saw results, enjoyed working out, and found that I was able to push myself farther than I thought. About two weeks in I went for a run and was able to go 3 miles, pushing a stroller, without stopping. Bradley has told me for years that doing strength training exercises will help my running. Now I believe him. Also, I did not finish the 21 day program…
4. Summer is wonderful but also hard. Breaks have been minimal, I have no personal space, and I’m still learning that parenting is HARD. With all good things comes hardness. I suppose every aspect of life is lived within this tension.
5. I think maybe I can pull of wearing a hat. When I was about five years old I played on a tee ball team and ever since then I have hated wearing baseball caps. They made my ears stick out and I felt super self-conscious. And I don’t care so much about my ears.
6. Non-fiction continues to be my favorite genre. I’ve ventured back into the world of fiction over the past few months, and while I enjoy getting lost in a good story, I’ve found that I still prefer a good memoir, biography, or spiritual formation book. (Reading Lately post from May/June).
7. Herbs stay alive in the heat if you water them. Genius, I know.
8. You can use a shop vac to aid in unclogging a toilet. Twice in one week, Mason flushed large objects down the toilet and Bradley had to take the entire toilet off of the floor in order to find the problem. We’re still missing a bathing suit, but the other items were successfully retrieved and we didn’t have to call a plumber.
9. The US Coast Guard has an old ship that travels around the world. They were docked here in Norfolk and we enjoyed going on board. The kids got to ‘steer’ and I was amazed by the size of the mast and sails.
10. Creating boundaries is healthy, but sometimes it’s good to break your own rules.
11. I like to sew and finishing a project feels so good. Isabella and I picked out fabric and materials last summer for a doll that we planned to make and everything sat in the closet all year. We finally pulled it out last week and I finished making dolls for the girls. It no longer hangs over my head, and it felt good to push myself with something that doesn’t come easily to me. Sewing has been an ‘extra’ and on the back burner for awhile. I have to work hard at it, I make lots of mistakes, and there are many interruptions. But if it’s something I enjoy, I need to make time for it. This post by Kendra Adachi, from The Lazy Genius Collective, summarizes my thoughts beautifully.
12. I finally understand the ghost emoji associated with Snapchat. I thought it was so dumb and why couldn’t they pick something a little more cheery? Hello. They disappear. Whole point, Lauren. Now that Instagram came out with the story app, I get it. And, also I can’t decide if I am going to keep using stories or not. I like it so far, but also feel really weird doing them.
13. I write so much better with my feet propped up. This I learned while finishing up this post on the front porch. I don’t even know that this makes sense, and I need to test it out, but for now, I’m taking note.
What did you learn this summer?
