My Turquoise Bag

You are a soul who needs music, connection, sunsets, laughter, and small pockets of joy. Prioritize them like your life depends on it because it does.

Vex King

I will be turning 40 in September, which means that this Summer is the last one of my Thirties.

Soon, somewhere in the constellations, Summer sunsets and Autumn sunrises will intersect, and down here on Earth I’ll be entering a new decade.

I pondered how to welcome my Forties on my blog.

I thought about sharing a compilation of all the lessons learned in the course of ten years. Maybe share the evolution that naturally occurs during that timeframe.

But the truth is, I am still evolving.

I am still healing.

I am still figuring it out as I go.

My heart currently feels like the blank pages of a journal containing pressed flowers instead of ink.

It’s saying, “I can’t find the words just yet, but let me show you what I’m holding close to me in this chapter of my life before I start a new one”.

On joy and grief

Joy has shown up frequently this summer in the shape of freedom, sunshine, creativity and connection with the people I love. Owed to my unplanned sabbatical, I’ve been moving through my summer days with leisure, intention and discovery.

Simultaneously, grief has also showed up when a close friend passed away from a difficult battle with cancer. She passed before we arrived at the hospital, and it shattered my heart to have missed her. Her death, which felt like an arm’s reach away, and her funeral left an unshakable awareness of the fragility of time and mortality, and a nagging disbelief that she’s gone.

What a privilege it is to start a new decade.

A decade that will feel different without her.

How I’m honouring this Summer

What I can share as a noteworthy lesson is simply the imprints of what I value and cherish the most about life.

Health.

Movement.

Sunshine.

Memories.

Friendship.

Female friendships.

Family time.

Dancing and singing.

Shakespeare in the park.

Travel.

Choosing what projects to work on.

Summer storms.

Peach coloured sunsets.

Waking up.

Waking up to a speck of sunlight on my husband’s cheek in the mornings.

Waking up to the thought, “I’ve been granted a new day. What will I do with it”?

I have lived three decades, and I will be starting a fourth one.

How lucky this all feels.

In honour of this milestone, I’ve handpicked ten moments I want to remember the most from the last summer of my Thirties.

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Being an artistic subject for a day

Collaborating with Dom Productions to create an ethereal and whimsical photoshoot for my blog, embodying nostalgia, nature and romance.

Garden strolls with my parents

Mid-week drops ins, coffee dates, visits to a luscious arboretum.

Family boat rides with my husband

Riding on the open water. Feeling alive. Feeling free.

Cottage with friends

Dock hangs, hammock reading, a full moon over a tranquil lake.

Calm mornings

Movement in the sun, bumble bees on a trail of purple daisies, coffee and a novella by the lake.

Saturday mornings at the Farmer’s Market

Iced coffees and tote bags carrying home local cheese, fruit and flowers.

Getting my first tattoo

A permanent bracelet of the sun, moon, stars and flowers.

Reading and eating fruit

Watermelon, berries and apples with Hemingway, Keegan and Burnett.

An abundance of sunflowers

Weekly purchases of my favourite golden flower.

Remembering Nav ❤️

My heart still drops when I see your name, and I think it always will.
The sunsets and lilac moons this summer felt like you were passing by to tell me that you’re okay. Thank you for being such a great friend to Mika and I. We miss you so much, and we have you living in our heart always.

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The here and now

People have often asked me how I feel about turning 40, and my feelings about it are consistently the same.

I’m excited, curious, and at peace.

I’m not concerned or eager about “what’s next”.

I’m perfectly content, and grateful, in the here and now.

Photography by Dom Productions

What will you remember the most about this summer?

Is there anything you learned? Would you want to share it with me?

Are you also entering a new decade soon? How do you feel about it?

Wishing you a wonderful end of Summer.

xo 🌻