I’m taking a mid-summer break to recharge, so I’ve added a little extra content to this week’s blog post. I hope you are all enjoying your summer so far and taking time to recharge as well.

*If you see an asterisk next to a link, that link takes you to a video with sound. Just a heads-up in case you need to turn the volume down or pop on your headphones.

HOME

Money. It’s a tough subject. Whether you have a lot of money, a little money, or you fall somewhere in between. In Anna Sale’s book Let’s Talk About Hard Things ($) she dives right into why talking about money is so tricky.

Money is often a taboo topic in conversations. We can look at people on the outside and make assumptions about their life. Often it can appear as though they worked harder, made all the right decisions along the way, and came out ahead. The reality though, is that while it may have included those efforts on their part, the more truthful reality is that they probably had a support system in place.

Financial support systems are more than just dollars. Support systems include caring friends and family to lean on in hardship. Sometimes inheritance or generations of wealth are passed down to create a safety net. These support systems differ person to person and culture to culture.

“How much money any of us has is the result of both our personal actions and many larger forces far beyond our control.” - Anna Sale, author of Let’s Talk About Hard Things

As Anna Sale explains, “Sharing money stories also exposes the structural forces that enable some people to sail along and cause others to struggle, even while working identical jobs.”

The biggest question she offers up for us to consider is “What is money for?” This seemingly simple question is much more challenging to answer based on your own relationship to money. It is often the root of many disagreements in relationships and within families.

When we name these differences OUT LOUD to the people we are close to, whether it is our money narrative, values, or how luck, privilege, and social structures have affected our lives, we are opening up conversations to relate to one another in an honest way.

She talks about how we tend to stick in our social comfort zones based on our finances, and then feel a loss of belonging (or even embarrassment or shame) if we change income levels or lose or gain wealth (that is if we had any to begin with).

Anna Sale explains in her book that each social and financial class or “socioeconomic tribe” has its own language and structure. Navigating the change can be frustrating and difficult. We want to belong. We want to know why some people are doing so well while others struggle.

“I think I really felt like there is a secret tunnel! That’s how you get an apartment (in NYC)!” - Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeny, author of The Nest

Some of the most challenging jobs in this country come with the least pay. Take teachers for example. I was an elementary school teacher over 14 years ago. The starting pay is still THE SAME as it was 14 years ago. How is that possible? The price of our house has doubled in that time. Where are teachers supposed to live if their salary doesn’t keep pace with housing costs?

“The way work is rewarded with money in this country does not reflect the worth of the work or the labor that’s gone into it.” - Anna Sale, author of Let’s Talk About Hard Things

Anna Sale talks about ALL the hard things on her podcast Death, Sex, and Money on NPR.

I’ve been budgeting with You Need A Budget (YNAB) for years. It’s the only budget software I was able to stick with. YNAB’s YouTube Channel is full of great inspiration for those new to budgeting or for the more experienced budgeters. They recently completed a huge update, and I’m loving the simple, clean aesthetic. YNAB continues to add new features to make budgeting even easier.

*This week’s YNAB YouTube Inspiration: How Do I Budget for My Hobbies?

GARDEN

We’ve received more rain in two weeks than we usually do in the whole month of July. Everything is GREEN which is not usually the case for Central Texas in July. While some of the garden is thriving, other areas of the garden are waterlogged and waiting for everything to finally dry out.

I’ve spent the week trimming back and weeding all the rampant growth from the rain. The zinnias are thriving as usual for this time of year, and I’m waiting on my dahlias to flower. The cucamelons are still on pause with all the rain.

Temperatures remain mild for a Texas summer hovering in the 90s (although humid) for a time when we are usually in the triple digits. I’m even noticing a few plants making a comeback that are usually finished for the season because of the heat.

Bean blossoms are starting up again, and sunflowers are in full swing. No luck on the quince or kiwi flowers just yet. Even the tomatoes are giving it one last try before going dormant until fall. The okra is starting to peek up through the tomato trellises waiting to take over for the tomatoes in the late summer heat. Sweet basil and Thai basil are prolific and have been a fragrant addition in our flower arrangements.

Our first cantaloupe (we can’t figure out which variety it is based on the rind!) and Boule d’Or Melon were ready this week, and we enjoyed the mild and refreshing flavors. I’m sure all the rain made them extra juicy. A squirrel beat us to the first Pride of Wisconsin Melon, but hopefully she enjoyed it as much as we would have.

WELLNESS

If I ever get a day when I feel overwhelmed or just out of sorts, I reach for my wellness recipe. It’s written only in my heart, but I’ve gotten better at remembering it’s available to me when I need a mood lift. Often, I’m noticing the moods of my husband and son as well. If I notice someone having a rough day, I do my best to just notice and then put on some music they like or offer some time outside.

Usually, it doesn’t take much to flip the switch on my mood. I stop or slow down. I move my body or do a workout. I light a candle. I turn on a favorite playlist. I declutter. I walk outside and notice what’s happening in nature that seems unaffected by my to-do-list, or I work in the garden. I find a dance workout, or I take a 20-minute NAP! If I have chores I need to do, but I’m not looking forward to them, I turn on a favorite podcast or audiobook.

Born in a generation that was split between analog and digital, I know the speed of things before technology was introduced. With all the delays in COVID times, I welcome that we can’t do everything as quickly as we might like to do. At first it was frustrating until I remembered that the instant gratification we have in our modern world can sometimes mean we never get a break.

More and more research is pointing to the benefits of FULLY unplugging, resting and recharging. Employers and employees are seeing the benefits of taking all their vacation days or offering shorter workweeks.

“The four-day workweek shouldn’t just be about becoming more productive — the real benefit is that it would allow us to be fuller people.” - Christine Emba, columnist

Benefits of a 4-Day Workweek by Christine Emba

4-Day Workweek Trial in Iceland is a Huge Sucess

In the past we did less, we were less connected, and we were OKAY. We didn’t need to be connected all the time. We could be fully present in conversations without the ding of a text or a notification bell. It takes intention and practice to get back to that place, but it is important to our wellbeing.

CREATIVITY

Seashell Art

*Try to watch this creative video without smiling.

(I’m not on Twitter and the link still works for non-Twitter users)

BOOKSHELF

Reading: I Was Anastasia ($) by Ariel Lawhon, Sparks Like Stars ($) by Nadia Hashimi, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous ($) by Ocean Vuong, The Secret World of Weather ($) by Tristan Gooley, and Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man ($) by Emmanuel Acho

Listening to: The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together ($) by Heather McGhee

Recently Finished: Do Less ($) by Kate Northrup, Let’s Talk About Hard Things ($) by Anna Sale, Charming As A Verb ($) by Ben Philippe, We’re Going to Need More Wine ($) by Gabrielle Union, The Language of Flowers ($) by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, and Luck of the Titanic ($) by Stacey Lee

Up next: Northanger Abbey($) by Jane Austen, The Whispering House ($) by Elizabeth Brooks, Finding by Voice ($) by Nadiya Hussain, Caste ($) by Isabel Wilkerson, The Mountains Sing ($) by Mai Phan Que Nyguen, What Could be Saved ($) by Liese O’Halloran Schwartz, and The Stationery Shop ($) by Marjan Kamali

In case you are looking for book recommendations for kids (or yourself!), gift ideas for all ages or want to peek into my TBR List for 2021, head over to the 52 Seasons Book Shop on Bookshop.org.

COMMUNITY

Solar Farms Helping Pollinators

Generation labels mean nothing. It’s time to retire them.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

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Disclosure: ($) If you see this dollar symbol in a post, the link is an affiliate post. I will receive income or a discount on products if you purchase that item on Bookshop.org or anything on the Etsy, Campspot, Beauty by Earth, or Prana website using my link. Income from the products in these links helps me to keep this blog growing.