Summer as a Career Woman – The Art of the Intentional Pause
Can I tell you about my summer so far?
My husband and I just got back from a cruise to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. (37 years together total – but this is the first trip we’ve ever taken specifically to celebrate US. Just us. On purpose.) And it was… everything. We laughed, we relaxed, we talked about the journey we’ve been on together and where we’re headed next. It sounds simple when I say it like that but being intentional about it made all the difference.
And my good friend Sandy – she has season tickets to the Muny. (For those of you outside the St. Louis area, the Muny is the oldest and largest outdoor theater in the US and it is an absolute gem.) We make a full girls night of it – dinner, conversation, the show – and we do it on purpose. Because life gets busy and friendships don’t maintain themselves. We’ve decided ours is worth protecting.
Here’s what both of those things have in common: intention.
Nobody talks about that part of summer. Everyone talks about the vibes… the aesthetic… the “living your best life” version of it. But when you have a full time career and real responsibilities, summer doesn’t just happen to you. You have to decide to feel it.
Stolen moments. A slow morning with good coffee and watering the plants. A girls night that actually makes it on the calendar. A late night dip in the pool. A trip you’ve been putting off for way too long.
You don’t need three months off to have a summer worth remembering. You just need to be intentional about the time you do have.
Speaking of intentional time well spent – if you haven’t been to a meeting yet or visited a WEW chapter outside your own, I’d love for you to put one on your calendar this summer.
Be intentional.