Dear July,
I am sad to see you leave so soon; it felt as if you didn't stay too long. You came in hot and you are leaving hot. I wasn't sure what you were going to bring this month; the last few months have been crazy to say the least, I was hoping for a calm month. You did a great job with providing calmness. You brought me a lot of opportunities to think and process and figure out what I want. The conversations I had this month have really put things into perspective and helped me gain some knowledge that will help me with future decisions.
Work has been steadily busy and I am here for that. My days usually fly by and if I am lucky my snacks last until the afternoon (its rare that they will last past 10 AM). I am continually blown away by the amount of work that my office receives daily. I went on a few lunchtime walks that lead me to see some beautiful things in the neighborhoods right around my office. A secret garden, a house that I fell in love with and new murals. These walks let me escape the cold of my office, allow me to get some fresh air to clear my mind to start the afternoon new and to enjoy the small things.
July, you let me spend ALOT of time outside. I went for many walks in Ocean Gate, I swam and kayaked in the river and had lots of Standup Paddleboarding yoga sessions on the creek. I saw beautiful skies during dusk; I watched swans, dragonflies, ospreys, seagulls and ducks along the water; I sat on the beach on a numerous occasions just taking in what the view had to offer. I loved listening to the water meeting the shoreline and hearing the laughter of children playing. There is something about living by water and being by the water that makes everything calm and feel okay. I have mentioned this to many of my friends and we all agree, the water has this magical effect.
I spent a lot of time at home, as well. I only venturing out one time to an actual store (not just the food store)- for the first time since quarantine. I was so excited to go to Target, I got there an hour before they opened! HA! Going into stores now, for me, is not as enjoyable as it used to be. There is something different about it and I cannot put my finger on it. I still enjoy (probably a little too much) food shopping early in the morning before the crowds. I am not fully comfortable yet to be out with large crowds. Not going out shopping has done wonders for my savings account, too. New Jersey is allowing outdoor dining but from what I see in my town, social distancing isn't being followed that well and that makes me a little uneasy. I am hoping people will start to follow the rules better or we will be stuck in quarantine and phase two forever.
I have been feeling physically AMAZING. I am always in disbelief that I feel this good, consistently. Is this how people who don't have chronic illnesses feel all the time? It has almost been a year of continually feeling good and I thank my lucky stars every day for this fabulous feeling. I have slowed down with my workouts this month but I did other things that were physically active-walks, paddleboarding, yoga, kayaking. Maybe August will bring me some oomph to start my workouts again.
Another unexpected joy this month- buying a desk and chair. This has totally changed my productivity levels with this blog. I used to blog from my bed and while it was very comfortable, it was hard sometimes to concentrate. Having a dedicated space that I can blog or do school work makes me so happy and I am able to concentrate much easier. I find myself getting up early and staying up later than normal to work on a post or do some research. Speaking of school, I signed up for classes for the fall semester. I might not have truly enjoyed the college experience back in 2006 but now I embracing on line learning and being able to have time to take classes again. I hope this excitement continues with school and the blog, I have been enjoying this a lot.
July you brought me three of my favorite posts I have written lately- Favorite Books, Plant Mom Update and Am I Still Blooming? These were so much fun to write and share with you. My plants are loving their new homes and I have been finding new ways to continually bloom in all aspects of my life.
Its hard to think we are now entering the second half of 2020, July. How in the world that even possible? You have brought me some great moments this month so THANK YOU for making this a good month, July. I am looking forward to August and seeing what he has to offer. As you wind down July, can you tell August to keep up the beautiful sunsets and turn the heat down just a smidge, we are kind of melting here in New Jersey.
XOXO
-gabrielle
😀
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