Throwing glitter into a black hole
A mental health analogy, really a metaphor for life lately and summer so far
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated image for fun, but this newsletter and every newsletter is 100% human-written.
I told two people recently, a co-worker and my therapist, that caring for my mental health or health in general feels like throwing glitter into a black hole like it’s temporarily making things a little brighter, sparklier, and bearable. Temporarily. Therapy, anxiety meds, breathing techniques, daily walks, nervous system reset “tools” like ice rollers and yoga and stretching poses. Feels sparkly in the moment but over the long haul it’s easy to feel frustrated and wonder if its all “taking”? (Somehow all these things are working together and I’m here so I count that as a win)
When I reached out too other substackers about what to to title this- I was also contemplating “surviving summer” because we are in the thick of it over here. But several moms also commented that surviving summer feels like “throwing glitter in a black hole”. These are dystopian times. One minute I scroll a reel showing me the best places to swim, or a summer recipe, and then the next it’s the heartbreaking and horrific state of our country currently. What is a mom to do trying to hold down a 40 hour week job to keep feeding two kiddos without full-time summer childcare while trying to exercise, hydrate, cook, clean, keep up the crumbling democracy, try to raise kind humans, be a decent wife, friend, sister, daughter and not spiral into some kind of insanity and burnout? But for the sake of not getting too dark here, we’re gonna keep throwing the glitter.
While scrolling recently, I saw someone say our country and government may have lost their minds, but we haven’t lost our humanity.
Psstt. A bill that leaves millions without healthcare or access to critical resources like food is not big or beautiful. You can send a letter to your senators here: https://www.votervoice.net/PublicHealth/campaigns/126794/respond
APHA breaks down the buzz words you’ve likely seen floating around: "Big Beautiful Bill," "Reconciliation," "FY 2025," "FY 2026," "Rescission Package." What do these terms mean, and how could they impact public health funding in your community? APHA breaks it down here.
Some hopeful things I’ve found scrolling recently: (this is why I keep writing, keep gardening, keep making and keep hoping)
The world and our government may have lost its mind but we haven’t lost our humanity...🫶🏼
Keep watering your sunflowers, calling your senators, smiling at the baristas/cashiers/fast food workers, keep baking muffins with your kids and googling their funny animal questions, keep feeding the cats and dogs, keep checking on your friends/ neighbors/ or a coworker going through a hard time, Keep celebrating any bit of goodness in this world.. Keep letting everyone(A-L-L) know they matter they are worthy they belong 💛( p.p.s. It is a really hard time to be working in the nonprofit sector or any work Aimed at helping people or providing critically needed services- currently deemed as “inefficient spending” 😵💫 sending love to our nervous systems .. keep doing good work 💪🏻 it matters)
Speaking of Sunflowers and growing things, the garden update no one asked for: some haphazardly planted sunflower, zinnia, lettuce and radish seeds with a few straggling transplants in May are flourishing here in late June, almost July! 🌻 I call myself a “chaos gardener” because if I wait till I’ve learned how to do everything “right” or “perfect,” I feel like I will never start.
And maybe the Summer Garden brings to the surface feelings, like I’m some sort of a walking contradiction these days. I value time outside, self-sufficient creativity but I do these in my “off hours.” I’m not a full-time homesteader ( no shade to anyone who is ❤️ ) I know how to bake sourdough and ferment kombucha and I’ve had chickens. But I also have a corporate 9-5. I work from home but have a rigid meeting schedule. But try to use what flexibility I can to set the kiddos up with slip n slides, legos, crafts, and also Disney+ and the Nintendo. I grew up home-schooled but my kiddos got to a public school we love and have the best teachers. Maybe all this to say at 31 I’m finding some previous niches I subscribed to and followed don’t fit or serve me right now. And that’s okay.
I am trying to support more of the good I want to see in the world and have found it necessary to balance all the current “news” with some “good news” too - enter The Good Good Good Co. Newspaper! For less than $10 a month you can receive print and for $5 or the cost of cup of coffee you can go digital. I love that The Goodnewspaper brings you stories and tools so you feel less overwhelmed, more hopeful, and better equipped to make a positive difference in the world. (Not affiliated or sponsored I just love that this exists ).
Summer joys so far: in lieu of a neighborhood or public pool of which we have neither, in June we made weekly treks to nearby watering holes on a weekly basis. We have been to two different lakes, a spring, and a state park. Throwing snacks, drinks, towels, sunscreen, and maybe wistfully a book and bug spray on a lake nigh,t weekday or Summer Saturday/ Sunday have been some of the best summer days. Maybe a reminder that simple can be best and more than good enough.
So we’ll drive 30 minutes one way to swim once a week, and throw a slip n slide and some popsicles in the yard after work the rest of the days, and call it good. We’ll see the new live-action remakes of Lilo and Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon and treat it like a grand adventure. Anytime we have together whether every day is as magical as Instagram influencers lead me to believe summer should be every day we do get to spend time together is a gift and privilege. Wrote a thing about summer simplicty for Coffee and Crumbs here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKZ4K4lh4iD/?hl=en&img_index=4
I hope you can notice both the heartbreak and beauty present in the world every day.
I hope you let your kiddos lead the way in simplicity this summer and lay aside any guilt that you should be having any different sort of Summer. I hope you keep throwing the glitter, whatever that means for you in this season, whatever is keeping you hopeful, whatever is keeping you sane, whatever small step of advocacy you can take- raising kind humans counts :) Take that bit of magic with you into July and each day.
Glimmers:
The Trader Joe’s Peach Black Tea candle I picked up on a road trip.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 premiere is coming out on July 16th- eeekkkk!!!
Iced matcha’s- my warm weather drink of choice.
Currently reading The Bright Years, just finished the 3rd series by Sarah J. Maas Crescent City. Taking more romantasy book reccs.
My weekly writing class I have signed up for monthly since last Summer
On that note my weekly exhale class I’ve been doing almost 18 months know, weekly breathwork/ mindful moment/some yoga
Need new Summer playlist additions- think Walking on a dream, Bluest Flame by Selena Gomez, and what was that by Lorde.
Keeping a promise to myself and sending this before July imperfections and all. Here’s to a new month for us all to take care of ourselves and one another! ❤️