Creating a sultry summer day
On feeling radiant and seeking pleasure.
I was recently asked, “When was the last time you felt radiant?”
My initial response was internal and one of sadness, because sadly, it’s been a while. But then I felt the memory of how I was feeling at the beginning of 2022. Just four summers ago…..but also four whole years ago! That’s a disgustingly long time to not feel this way.
It was the summer I hired a personal trainer and was learning to lift weights. I had committed to a movement practice at the beginning of the year and was posting about it via my IG stories. When I hired Ashley in early May, everything I knew about movement changed, and I was feeling excited again. There is something about feeling physically strong that touches every other aspect of life (it is probably also why it seems like every middle-aged woman online is telling all the other middle-aged women what their weekly training split and protein intake are). It was a feeling and energy very similar to when I first quit drinking. It was magnetic. I felt magnetic.
It was the summer we were really out of the woods with the pandemic.
It was the summer I took a month-long Kundalini class that focused on energizing kriyas and mantras, holding myself accountable, and doing things that felt good.
And it was the summer I started this Substack (originally named The Feel Good Studio) and found myself so energized about writing and sharing again after having a few-year break from really engaging with the community.
So, needless to say, after having that question prompted, and knowing I am the only one who can make myself feel good or, dare I say, radiant, I have been actively trying to get back to that feeling. The feeling and energy I had around the summer of 2022 is what I am aiming for again, now and forever.
Some of the words I throw around when I am focusing on feeling good in my life are radiance, magnetism, desire, passion, fun, and joy. The savoir-faire, savoir-vivre and savoir-être of life. This is also a good time to mention that I organically turn to my French roots in the summer. This time of year, that bloodline really speaks to me, much more so than, say, my German or British side.
It’s the time of year I reread works by French authors, watch movies filmed along the Mediterranean, cut my bangs, and buy new lipstick, perfume, and jewelry. All out of effort to create a swoon-worthy environment within and around myself. And who else seems to do life better than the French woman? Well, other than the Italian man.
Here we go, some things to add to our arsenal for a sultry, feel-good summer day and evening. And no, this is not going to be another newsletter about what kind of movement we should do, or our perfect macro count, or anything else related to health and wellness. We all know this already, but if a refresher is needed, one can find it all throughout this substack. No, darling, this is a list of things more seductive in nature. Things that are not always on a summer list. But they should be.
