My Summer in Lists

Today, I was reminded to be gentle with myself as a writer. My eyes discovered this invitation to create lists at just the right moment– a moment that followed days of anxiety around school reopening plans and an afternoon of writer’s block. The Sunday of Summer is still upon me. June and July brought simple joys:

Seemingly Ordinary Moments

• Berry Picking: Family. Laughter. Blueberries. Raspberries. Raindrops.
• Garden in the Woods: Mom. Greenery. Brooks. Bridges. Lily Pads.
• Beach Day: Sand. Social Distancing. Sunglasses. Sam. Lemon Bathing Suit. Watermelon. Waves.
• Game Nights: Scrabble. Scattergories. Rummy. Yahtzee.

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Podcast Walks

• Modern Love
• Rise Podcast with Rachel Hollis
• Rise Together with Dave Hollis
• The Michelle Obama Podcast
• Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
• Embrace Your Real with Julie Ledbetter
• Code Switch

Vibrant blue hydrangeas in my neighborhood

Homemade Deliciousness

• Fruit Loop Milk Cupcakes: Recipe Here
• Mixed Berry Crumble Bars: Recipe Here
• Banana Bread: Recipe Here

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#MQsummerstack

• Stella Díaz Never Gives Up by Angela Dominguez
• What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado
• From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
• Bat and the Waiting Game & Bat and the End of Everything by Elana K. Arnold
• Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj
• Roll With It by Jamie Sumner

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I wonder how my soon-to-be middle schoolers have been spending their summer. I wonder what lists my new fourth graders will make come September.

I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us. #sosmagic