Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me. It’s also a monthly update/recap of what’s going on in my world.
Let July Be July
This month was about letting the summer heat keep me inside and focusing on some of my goals. I read the most books this month (six!), was consistent with my workouts (a new spin studio opened in town), and spent time relaxing in the river. There were also 27 out of 31 days with walks! My mental health is happy, I think.
But I’m also noticing that days pass by quickly without significant highlights. Do you notice this? I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, that significant things need to happen every day, but I’d like to be more conscious of how I spend my time and recognize it.
Nevertheless, here are some highlights!
- We celebrated the 4th of July at a friend’s potluck. Always good to get together!
- I posted about some low-waste, eco-friendly habits in our house.
- I went to a newer Austin farmers market. They’ve closed for the rest of summer, so more info later.
- I was in a hit-and-run. There was minor damage to my car’s rear end but still scary.
- Here’s a quarterly post about Austin restaurants to try.
- I visited some new Austin food places. You’ll see them on Instagram or in my next Flavors post. One is pictured in the photo above – Pflour Shop Bakery.
Turn Back to Hope
With a news cycle revolving around urgency, fear, and drama, it’s sometimes hard to remember the good. I’ve been trying to reflect on the positive. Here’s an article about how to be hopeful and another with 32 reasons why things will be ok.
Rituals
Rituals are something I’ve been thinking about this year. Many times, we do these subconsciously, like these Sunday rituals for getting ready for the week. The word ritual is usually religious, and I think using this word emphasizes how important they are to draw attention to your priorities. They’re more sacred than habits. What are your rituals?
Dinner Parties
How regular are your dinner parties? This Bon Appetit post discusses the history of them. My friend group is fairly good about scheduling several every few months and it helps that many of us are foodies who make yummy things!
Giving Back
It’s important, and yet sometimes less of a priority, to give back to your community. Here’s a list of ideas on how you can give back. Related, here are some ideas to use less plastic.
Gift Registries
I want everyone to have a constant, updated wishlist! I’ve discussed gifting with a few people and giving gifts as an adult can feel a little silly; we typically have enough money to buy the things we want or will figure out how to get them. But it’s also nice to give and receive gifts. I’m all for giving intentionally and thoughtfully – things the receiver actually wants and will use. (We did that for our wedding registry.) It would also be nice to gift for other big occasions like a new job. Here’s a post about rethinking the registry.
Showing Up for Your Friends With/Without Kids
In my age group, one popular categorization is people with and without kids. Each has its own characteristics, issues, etc. What’s necessary is learning how to have patience and understanding for one another, especially when a friendship is important to you. This post gives some great insight into this!
40 is the New 40
It’s happening. More people in my friend group are turning or approaching 40, and I don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, I remember thinking as a kid that 40 was so old, but on the other hand, it seems like for me and those around me, getting older has more benefits. This series on the new 40 is an interesting conversation.
Bits of Advice
I have probably shared this post before but I don’t mind sharing it regularly because it’s a good one! So many quick lines of life advice. The ones that resonate with me today:
- A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others.
- What you do on your bad days matters more than what you do on your good days.
Space Images
The new images from the James Webb Space Telescope were widely shared this month. Did you see them? We have progressed in photographing space and yet there’s still so much to learn about it!
Is America Becoming Sober?
This Washington Post article dives into a movement I’ve noticed and become a part of in the last few years. The options of non-alcoholic spirits, seltzers, beer, etc have grown. Remember when I wrote about non-alcoholic hopped drinks? The shift started before the pandemic but because many people drink socially, the pandemic decreased their alcohol consumption. Now, many are drinking alcohol less. For me, I’ve found that one drink can give me a hangover, so why put up with it? I also drink for the creative flavors, not for the effects, so non-alcoholic options, it satisfies the desire for a tasty drink without the downtime drinking alcohol requires. I think it’s great that people who don’t drink alcohol have more creative options when they are out.
Caring Less
In a great yet sometimes concerning way, my ability to care less has been fine-tuned over the years. (It looks like a stressful childhood, perfectionist tendencies, and seeing the abundance of drama around me.) We are constantly being given messages, so our filters need to be better when it comes to priorities and boundaries. Here’s an article about this.
Now Watching
We watch a lot of tv in our house, so here’s a list of shows I’ve recently seen in the last three months.
- The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) – Season 3 came out in June. This season felt a little more fun after knowing these characters for 2 seasons. But it also brings up many questions. It’s about superhero siblings saving the world.
- Stranger Things (Netflix) – Season 4 came out in May and July. Very fun season and enjoyed how they bring the stories together. Junior high and high school-aged kids come together to save the world! One of them has super powers.
- Wheel of Time (Amazon) – Debut season of the next epic fantasy show based on a book series. Pretty good. Think Lord of the Rings type quest to save the world.
- The Bear (Hulu) – This debut season of a drama series is a hit! It follows a chef who comes home to run the family sandwich shop in Chicago. It’s intense, smart, and strangely uplifting.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (Amazon) – Teenage love triangle drama, based on a book, that debuted in June. Cute but also ugh, teenage emotions.
- Maggie (Hulu) – Easy to watch rom-com show that debuted in July. She’s a 30-something psychic who encounters awkward situations when she sees the future of people close to her.
- Westworld (HBO) – Season 4 is slowly being released. I loved season 2 and struggled through season 3, so I’m hopeful that season 4 will be good. If you haven’t watched it, it’s a sci-fi show about robotic hosts that look and act flawlessly human in a theme park where humans can live out their fantasies.
- Blown Away (Netflix) – The third season of this competition show about glass blowing was released in July and this might be the best one yet. This is one of my favorite competition shows!
- The Boys (Amazon) – This show makes me anxious because it’s violent and gruesome. Season 3 came out in July. It’s about what would happen if superheroes go rogue and abuse their powers. Based on a comic book series.
- The Flight Attendant (Hulu) – Season 2 was released in May. This comedy-drama thriller follows a reckless flight attendant who seems to constantly be around murders. The editing style is fun but the main character’s impulsive behavior drives me crazy! We’ve stalled in the middle of the season but the mystery is entertaining.
- Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) – Episodes of season 2 of this comedy-drama thriller has released weekly since June. The characters (especially Steve Martin and Martin Short) are fun. The premise is three people who are obsessed with true crime podcasts find themselves in a true crime situation.
What have you been captivated by lately?
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