This is my “naught girl” summer
Can we all just do a little more … nothing?
One of my defining character traits is not really knowing how to relax. I’m pretty sure my senior quote in high school was something like, “I’m so stressed out!” The muscles in my neck and shoulders have, for decades, acted as if their knotted cables are responsible for holding up the Golden Gate Bridge. For you Star Trek fans, here’s a visual: I can do a mean impression of the Cardassian neck trick.
I’ve gotten better at taking it easy in the past couple of years. The pandemic pauses helped, honestly, as did reading more books again; though the latter can easily veer into the obsessively productive vein, as it did when I decided I wanted to finish 100 books in 2021.
Thanks to my aforementioned spring slump and a few instances of accidental sloth (I seem to have hibernated through my go-to nursery’s entire open season, for one), I have shifted myself into a much slower than normal gear these days. Maybe it’s a weird inverted seasonal depression. But I think it’s a sign from my brain and body that I just need to give myself a break. I often joke that I was born 40 and that once I actually hit 40 I’d start aging backward to experience a second childhood or adolescence. Now in my 50-somethings, maybe I’m getting there. School’s out, after all, and though I do still have to work full time, I can embrace some of that old-school summer vacation ethos.
I now declare this my Naught Girl Summer.
As an experiment in un-doing, I’m making a To-Don’t List.
First up, less worrying over the garden. I have never been a big-time gardener, but I do usually plant up a mess of herbs and greens and tomatoes in containers on the patio. This year, I missed all my favorite plant sales as well as the short seasonal window for nasturtiums (as a California girl, this is my happy plant). But by some miracle or trick of global warming, the sage and rosemary pots survived the winter, and the kale stalks I cut and left for dead last fall have sprouted a whole new round of leaves and flowers (is zombie kale a thing?). I picked up a couple of potted herbs at the grocery store, and a sweet friend took pity on me and dropped off one of her nasturtium transplants. That might be it for this year’s edibles, and that’s ok.
As for the many weeds in the ground, I might get bothered enough to yank the worst offenders, but our neighbors already think we’re cultivating Grey Gardens over here, so further lapses of vigilance can’t make it much worse.
Next up, less meal planning and more snacks for dinner. I love to cook and try new recipes, but lazy summer days are called lazy for a reason. And snack dinner is awesome, especially enjoyed out on the picnic table while everyone does their own yard thing and no one’s in a hurry. We used to do this all the time when the kids were younger. I’d read while they ran around the yard or pumped on the swing in between stops at the table for a bite.
That’s it for now. I had a third item I was going to add to make this a satisfying trio, but dammit I’m trying to do less here! I’ll tell you about it another time. Now, please go do a little bit of nothing yourself.
Happy almost weekend.
Naught girl summer is my new favorite trend. This is brilliant, Oma! Wishing you a slow, soft and rejuvenating season. 💙