What We’re Reaching For This Summer
We've reached the swampy season in North Carolina. Temps in the 90s, humidity hovering around 90%, and two showers a day. And even though I've lived through more than 40 summers here, I seem to always forget how much the heat impacts me. It takes a couple of nights of leg cramps before I finally remember that I need extra water and electrolytes to keep my body feeling good.
We rarely stop to think about what the mind needs to keep feeling good. How do we actively replenish the spirit? This month, Meredith and I wanted to share with you a few things that have given us joy, perspective, or just respite from the current chaos.
Heather’s List
If you need a dose of pure delight, the Netflix show Love on the Spectrum will have you grinning from ear to ear. Watching people earnestly talk about love and relationships and seeing parents supporting their kids with humor and kindness is a great antidote for what's happening in the world.
If you need to reset your mind, check out this guided meditation from the InsightTimer app on reimagining strength. Dora Kamau's soothing voice and provocative message make this 12-minute meditation a powerful tool for replenishment.
If you want a shot of inspiration, listen to Suzy Wolff talk about women in Formula One on The Deal podcast. Suzy is a rock star in her own right, being one of the few women to race in a male dominated sport. And she's now built a pipeline for getting other women into the sport. Bonus: the new Formula One movie is Top Gun level escapist fun.
Meredith's List
In my efforts to replenish, I’ve been trying to stay away from screens. It’s quite the challenge. Instead, I’ve been reaching for my consistent go-tos of art, history, nature, and deliciousness.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I met up at the NC Museum of Art. Images of power and of the Black body reset some of my assumptions. The stories of collaboration between Grace Hartigan and the poets in her New York circles reminded me that no one ever creates alone. The colors and shapes settled my spirit.
While at the museum, I picked up a copy of Ninth Street Women. It’s the story of five of the women who created a new genre of art in the 1940s and 1950s. They came to be known as Abstract Expressionists who saw art as a means of sharing both perspective and emotion. I’ve just finished the chapters about World War II and have been reminded of the horrors of that period and the ways art countered fascism.
Summer is the time when I relish berries. We have blueberry bushes that are more than twenty years old and enjoy berries every morning while they are in season. My partner forages for blackberries in our neighborhood and I enjoy picking them in the early morning at a local farm.
This spring we foraged for mulberries. One of our favorite ways to enjoy the berry abundance is in a shrub, an infused syrup made from fruit, sugar, and vinegar. Here’s my favorite easy recipe (riffed from multiple online recipes for cold-infused shrub).
In a quart jar:
Macerate 1 1/2 cup berries (mulberries, blackberries, etc.) with 1/2 cup sugar, put herbs in now if you are using them
Let sit in the refrigerator at least overnight and it is fine if it is a bit longer.
Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 cup water.
Leave in the fridge at least overnight and up to a week.
Strain out the solids and return the liquid to the fridge. It keeps many months.
I put a couple splashes in a glass, top with seltzer (or something else bubbly) and squeeze in some lime. It's so refreshing on a hot day.
How are you refilling your cup this summer?
- Meredith & Heather