10
Jul
It’s 5 things. It’s always 5 things, because that’s my favorite number. However, I wrote the title a little bit differently for diversity’s sake.
Summertime has this seamless allure, this capacity of transforming the ordinary into magic. I want to tap into that energy, as long as the watermelons are fresh and the berries ripe. Not everyone can escape the mundane in order to experience the quiet of the beach or the excitement of the mountains. I want to bring a touch of that marvel to them. And what makes these trips all the more liberating? Feeling them with all your senses: the way the ice-cold beverages or the light summery foods taste, the way your body feels when it has finally entered relaxation mode or the child-like curiosity of discovering a new place, a new way of being.
So here are a couple of things I try to do every week because I know I deserve to feel special and pampered (and so do you <3):
This spring, I acquired a second-hand juicer from Vinted. Despite my early childhood tendencies of wishing for a specific doll, playing with it for a couple of days and forgetting why I wanted it so deeply in the first place, this juicer is still my precious play-thing.
Every week, I gather my resources. My go-to recipe is carrots, oranges, apples, lemon and ginger! I have tried other combinations, of course, but this is my top mixture of flavors. It takes so little, the process of cutting and peeling the fruits is therapeutic and the machine is easy to clean. This entire ordeal takes me about 20 minutes. Then I have some delicious homemade juice on hand and I feel like a wellness princess!
Of course, it doesn’t have to be a juicer. Just something that takes common tasks and makes them into fun and healthy choices. Other examples I can think of are veggie choppers (absolute time-savers for salad lovers), blenders (smoothie bowls are my perfect idea of a summer breakfast) or ice cream makers (then you can create your distinctive type of ice cream, such as protein-rich treats or dairy-free cold sweets).
Because it’s summer and hydration is the hottest topic, we will stick to beverages for now. One day, I stumbled upon people gushing over the incredible power of clove tea. They praise it for being full of antioxidants, as well as capable of easing digestion, boosting immunity and even reducing inflammation. I found out it is quite easy to make, as in you only need a pack of cloves, boiling water and maybe some honey and lemon.
Now, I don’t actually know if the tea itself lives up to its reputation. I have not been tracking that, to be honest. It’s the ritual that keeps bringing me back to this tea each week. Slightly crushing the cloves, dropping each one into the pot, waiting for the water to develop that beautiful color and then garnishing it with yummy flavors. Best part? The whole apartment smells divine for some time afterwards! Also the tea is delicious, that I can say for sure.
Just two quick disclaimers before moving on: excessive consumption (which is different for everyone, depending on each person’s individual health and circumstances) can be dangerous, due to cloves containing eugenol. Secondly, wait for the tea to cool down a little bit before adding in lemon and honey, so they don’t lose their awesome properties (ideally not higher than 60°C/140°F).
Treating your body with affection and respect isn’t really breaking news – on this blog or in general. However, I think reminders are always useful as someone, somewhere is bound to sometimes forget their first and most precious love (I am, of course, taking about oneself).
Each one of us has that specific thing that makes them feel pretty. I am a Leo so for me, it’s mostly hair! If I am having a fabulous hair day, everything else just falls into place. That’s why I always make sure to give my mane some kind of special treatment each time I wash it. I fell in love with products from Moroccanoil, mainly their treatment oil and anti-frizz leave-in conditioner.
Moreover, I try to oil my hair every two weeks or so (because I either forget, can’t fit this activity in my washing schedule or don’t have the necessary tools with me). My favorite oil is a combo of mint and rosemary. It makes it feel super fresh and extra loved. And the tool I don’t want to live without is my scalp massager. It is said to help with hair growth and such, but I just enjoy the massaging and rubbing part.
As for my weekly (or bi-weekly) face mask, I choose random ones that feel right for me. At the moment, I am using Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Refreshing Pore Mask, which feels very lush and light on my skin. The bean smell is weirdly appealing as well. And again, does it do something? Maybe? Do I feel pampered? Absolutely!
Yoga is something that made me so frustrated at the beginning of my practice, several years ago. Each position was annoying to me, seeming unnecessarily painful. I was trying to force everything, even though that is clearly counterintuitive.
Nowadays, after maaany years, I see Yoga as a way to relax, to recenter and ground yourself, to give your thinking mind a break and allow your body to give the intuitive answers to the problems you are currently facing.
Evidently, it would be quite helpful to do it more than once a week, if it feels right to you and if you have the time and energy for it. I usually do other forms of movement during the week and feel like stuffing a bunch of Yoga sessions would defeat the specific purpose I have found for it. Maybe, and hopefully, in the future my perception will change.
Until then, I scan my body and my mood, see if something hurts or needs extra attention and I choose my Yoga session accordingly. I have always been loyal to the YouTube channel Yoga with Adriene and believe she has a video for everything I am experiencing. For the good and for the less good.
Maybe for you it’s something else. Maybe swimming, boxing, headstands. Anything that redirects the energy flow to your body and reminds you that the breath comes first.
Last item on my very unconventionally-numbered list is gaining a kernel of experience each week. A little goes a long way. This one doesn’t belong to any category. The novelty can come from the culinary world, the artistic one, or somewhere else entirely.
For me, it’s mostly sweet treats. For example, from the remains of the carrots I used for my carrot juice, I made a simplified version of a carrot cake. I also love recreating fun desserts I see online, such as date brownies or date snickers (yes, I am partial to a date or two in my sweet treats).
It can also be salty recipes, if one insists. Even cocktails or mocktails or fun coffees. If you want to take a non-edible path, you can try new art projects, such as designing stickers or hand-made coupons for someone’s birthday. The possibilities are endless and so much more exciting than just watching someone on a screen do them, liking the content and then forgetting all about it.
But we can use technology to our own advantage, so why not dedicate a folder on your phone for anything you see online or around you and want to recreate. That will certainly make it more accessible and, as a consequence, more likely for you to engage in it.
This is all I’ve got in my picnic basket for this magical gathering. I do hope you choose your favorite way of honoring the bounty of summer and have yourself a breezy day. Because the sun means nothing if the curtains are drawn and the water is a fiend if we are afraid of getting our hair wet.
Let us celebrate freedom and ease in all the enchanting ways we can this July!
