I spent two weekends away this August; first going to Nordhouse Dunes in Michigan for a backcounty camping trip and then to San Francisco where my friends and I rented a cabin three hours north of the city. Both weekends were spent without much cell service, soaking up the August air in all of its glory before coming back to the heartbreaking news I had missed (first Charlottesville and then Hurricane Harvey). 

I'm still digesting both incidents. Still reflecting and trying not to let the nonstop news cycle keep me from taking some time to process and react.

In other news, I finally signed off my Instagram this month. 

I wanted to write something thoughtful and introspective about the move here but really I don't have much to say except that I'm happier without it. I can guess as to reasons why but I think in the end, it's a fairly simple conclusion. Scrolling through other people's supposed highlight reels is probably not good for the psyche. There are other things to do, other things to focus on ― plus I like getting updates of my friends' lives in real time, preferably at a kitchen table over coffee or tea.

While Michigan and California were lovely, most of my summer looked exactly like the shot above, in my air-conditioningless apartment, where my boyfriend and I spent our days, feeling content and lazy. My summer was full of work anxieties and a few breakdowns but it was also filled with quiet nights, where a 15 minute walk through side streets to get to my neighborhood Walgreens was a highlight in itself.

And so with that, another summer (almost) gone! I don't know how I feel about it quite yet but one of these nights, I'll pour myself a cup of mint tea and embrace the change in the air.