What are you actually looking forward to this summer?

Can we just acknowledge that May is absolutely unhinged? How is it already summer? I feel like we blinked and suddenly everyone's talking about vacation plans and pool days, and I'm still over here trying to figure out where March went.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about summer. Not just the idea of summer, but what I actually want it to feel like this year. And the difference between those two actually matters more than I think we give it credit for.

Last Summer Taught Me Something

Last summer, I got married, and it was beautiful, chaotic, and wonderful. Then we were off to Canada for our honeymoon with a packed itinerary the entire trip. It truly was amazing! But by the time the end of summer rolled around, I looked up and thought... wait, where did it go?

There were not enough slow pool days. Not enough nights with drinks on the patio with my girlfriends. Not enough mornings where I just existed without a to-do list. The whole season flew by, but I still felt like I didn't get to rest in it. I think a lot of us do this. We fill summer up so full that we miss it while it's happening.

So Let Me Ask You Something

What did last summer feel like for you? Not what happened — how did it feel at the end?

Did you soak it in, or did it slip through your fingers?

That answer tells you everything you need to know about what you actually want from this one.

This Summer, I'm Doing It Differently

This year looks really different for me. We're in our new house, we've got projects, we've got a life we're building together, and I'm obviously excited about that. BUT I made myself a little promise this time around.

I want to catch more sunrises. I want pool days that aren't scheduled around anything else. I want to go to Mexico and celebrate my husband's birthday and actually be present for all of it.

It's not a glamorous summer on paper. But it's mine. And that feels like enough.

The Difference Between Full and Fulfilling

Here's what I want you to take with you: there is a difference between a full summer and a fulfilling summer.

Full looks like back-to-back plans, obligations, and events, and somehow still arriving at Labor Day feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation.

Fulfilling looks like being intentional before the season even starts. It looks like asking yourself: what is the one thing (or the three things) that would make this summer feel like mine?

Write them down. Put them on the calendar. Because the pool days and the patio evenings and the slow mornings don't just happen. You have to protect them on purpose.

Your peace this summer is not going to fight for itself. You have to do that.

Loved this? Listen to the full sweet treat episode on The Nourisher Podcast — available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And if it resonated, send it to a friend who needs a slow, beautiful summer too.

With Love,

Caylar Brinkman