The world, or better country, feels as it it has been turned on its head these last weeks. There have been many rulings by SCOTUS that have been upsetting but the overturning of Roe v. Wade, even though we knew it was coming after the draft leak, stings. Women of the United States are already suffering the consequences and it is heartbreaking. It has been hard for me to scroll through social media, seeing story after story of devastation. I know many of you must feel similarly. So I have largely kept to myself this week. I do think that some good will come out of this very dark and trying time, perhaps a human rights amendment protecting all people from the personal opinions of a select few. I want you to know that I am here during this painful time, please feel free to reach out. I may not be able to offer much help but I am always happy to be a sounding board.

Looking at the month ahead I am hopeful for a brighter July. I’m even going on a limb, switching things up and calling myself “the editor” this month. I do after all edit this space. And the new title reminds me very much of the first pages of every magazine where the editor shares their perspective on the issue and new things to discover. I try my best each month to cover the topics I lay out in these posts, though, have decided that moving forward will be keeping those things a bit more under wraps. As you may know, not everyone on the internet is kind and I have at times felt very much a template for other creators to take from. True, we all borrow ideas from each other. These mood boards for example are all collected images created by others that have inspired me. But sometimes the line of comfort is crossed. I may not be able to control these things, or take many measures to prevent them, but I am no longer interested in giving my ideas away for free.

I am looking for some calm in July. We don’t have too many plans lined up and I’m happy to keep it that way. A few day trips are in order, to the beach and out East. I’d also like to spend some much needed time at home too. June was a whirlwind, we were constantly on the go so I am looking forward to some quiet time. This weekend is still up in the air with the weather. We have bbq and beach dreams but we will have to wait and see how and if that materializes. I think I would be perfectly happy to hang around the city, set up the little pool on the terrace, and drink something very cold. I’m missing our family walks in the park too.

Next week I plan to get back to regular posting. I just didn’t have it in me this week. A few drafts were started, a few ideas written down to be saved for later, some browsing done for new goodies to share, but I didn’t have it in me to sit down and put anything concrete together. Hopefully this long weekend will be the refresh we all need.

One thing that I would like to note is that I have started listening to audiobooks. I’ve finished two so far, since last week. I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing this morning in fact. This is new to me. I caved and bought myself a pair of airpods because I needed something to occupy my mind, and also take phone calls more easily while we are out on our walks. And I’m always complaining that I never can make the time to read. I’ve missed reading, and now I have audiobooks, which is certainly filling that void. I signed myself up for a digital library card from the New York Public Library and downloaded the SimplyE and Libby apps so I can access all of their free audiobooks. I highly recommend doing this if your local library offers, though there is a wait for some of the more popular titles.

That’s all I have for now. Happy weekend and happy independence day to my states based readers. Take care of yourselves.

xx

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