Seven summer joys that are sustaining me this season
A summer sprinkled with sunshine, excellent books, art, conversation and food
It’s summer in the Global North and it’s been a surprisingly full few months of working, studying, visiting doctors and adjusting my expectations of my body and self through a new season. The majority of my summer so far has involved working on interesting projects with lovely people and while I’ve been enjoying growing through the work I’ve been part of, I am longing to shift to the slow, languorous pace this season evokes. It’s been a challenging few months and I’m keen for more ease.
Taking advantage of micro-moments of joy when possible has helped. I’ve accepted that I’ll often have to shift timelines or cancel things I plan to participate in, but overall, I’ll still experience more joy than if I hadn’t attempted to make plans at all. In this edition of the newsletter, I am sharing some sources of summer joy in the hopes that even if you’re not taking time away this summer, there’s something on this list that helps you reset and rejuvenate before the autumn begins.
1. Walks and kayaks with podcasts
I like walking alone but silence can feel hard sometimes, so podcasts are a pleasurable way to bridge that gap. Last week I went to a local park called the Burnaby Lake Regional Park and watched birds, tried to spot turtles, and listened to the podcasts below. The cost of the entire trip was the transit fare to get there, and I felt so appreciative that we have parks that are accessible by transit. If you’re in BC, what are your favourite walks in the Lower Mainland that are accessible without a car?
a. James Acaster: In Writing with Hattie Crisell: I loved this conversation with James Acaster (shoutout to Aslam Bulbulia at
for recommending this episode). In the interview Acaster shared that his focus through his years of comedy has been not fame, or likes, but simply getting better and better at making the kind of art he wants to see in the world.b. If Books Could Kill: The Rules: This episode of Books Could Kill delves into “The Rules” a book from the 90s marketed as a guide for women to get a man to commit to them. This episode is funny, thoughtful and wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed their deconstruction of ideas about who should initiate courtship, how to be appealing to a straight man and how much of yourself to bring into a relationship.
3. Wonderful Television and Art Dates
I don’t do very well with summer heat. I get heatstroke easily, I get irritable, my head pounds. So more often than not, I retreat indoors with television because it is just too hot outside. A couple of weeks ago I tried combining the two at an outdoor screening of Bend It Like Beckham and was delighted to see one of my absolute favourites, Archie Panjabi, in the film. After the movie I started watching Hijack on Apple TV, the show she is currently starring in. I normally would never watch a story about a hijack situation, but this show is suspenseful, tightly plotted, and has a phenomenal cast.
Aside from television, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying going on art dates solo and with others to see films, watch comedy, discuss books and overall witness and be moved by creative acts.
4. Excellent books
Summer feels like the season of novels and reading without notes. I haven’t yet read outside/in parks, but I’ve enjoyed reading in neighbourhood cafes.
Do you have books you’ve read and loved this summer?
One of my favourites so far this summer has been Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
This story is different from anything else I’ve read before. It is told from the perspective of Klara, an AF who we meet in a shop at the beginning of the novel trying to attract a passerby to buy her so she can join a family. Her favourite moments are being in the store window and basking in the sun. What is an AF you ask? The book never explicitly defines the term but as a reader, you start to decipher what is going on as the story unfolds and you get more information about Klara and her role. Eventually Klara gets bought for a girl named Josie, and the rest of the story is about their journey together and Klara’s attempts to understand human emotions and relationships, the people she lives with and how she can positively impact a world in which she is largely misunderstood.
Reading this book reminded me of online quizzes that come after attempts to sign into a website where you have to check off boxes that contain crosswalks or motorcycles or bridges or something else altogether to prove that you’re a human. Klara sees things in boxes and then puts those images together to create meaning, which makes for an unusual storytelling style because the story is told from Klara’s perspective. We are aware of the way she perceives information because of the way the description is written, but the story structure itself gives as a window into her experience because we too are trying to puzzle through what is going on and what is at stake through limited clues.
5. Wonderful conversations and people
A. Gatherings/Summer Picnics
Seeing people, no matter whether frequently or infrequently, is one of the great joys of this season and its long days. Summer picnics, family meet-ups, art shows, cafe and ice-cream gatherings, long distance calls, there are lots of ways to connect with others no matter how much time and energy you have available. There is a lot of gear that can come up with outdoor meet-ups - whether it is a bbq, chairs, tents, canopies for shade - you name it, it can be spotted when you venture outside. We don’t have most of those things, but I recently got a canopy to help with shade on sunny days, and though I’ve only tried it out once, it definitely opens up more possibilities of when it feels doable to brave the elements.
B. Weddings
Earlier in the month I attended my brother’s best friend’s wedding, someone that has been part of our lives for nearly twenty years. It was a beautiful, emotional week filled with so many wonderful moments. One of my favourite parts of the wedding week was the Sikh wedding ceremony in which we meditated together, breathed together, prayed for the couple, and heard many reminders/lessons of what it means to sustain a marriage. Part of the ceremony was a reminder that by attending the wedding, we are now part of a community of people who have made a commitment to uplift and support this new family. Along with that powerful moment, I’m still thinking about the reminders we heard that day about the importance of having a individual spiritual practice to sustain oneself and one’s relationship, to drop one’s ego and keep it in check, and to keep things that are past, healed from, processed and repaired in the past rather than continually bringing them into our present.
6. Simple Meals
It is hard to cook or feel like eating when it’s hot outside and it’s hot inside. The air conditioning in our building has been broken for two years now and I often just don’t want to do anything except lie down near the fan and our portable air conditioner and try to subsist on gelato, fruit from my parents’ garden and cups of tea. To resist that temptation, I’ve been trying to find light nourishing meals and recently enjoyed this recipe of Daal with Potatoes. The potatoes act as a substitute for rice and it was delicious.
7. Iced drinks
I received a very generous gift recently of a tea subscription box and because of that, I have been trying new beverages as a way to keep hydrated. My favourite tea for the past month is a tea called Burgundy Blast that turns red as it steeps and doesn’t have any caffeine. My first love will still always be bubble tea, but having other tea options has been a wonderful way to start up and wind down in gentle ways.
What are your summer joys? What have you been eating, reading, watching? And if you’re reading from the global south and it’s winter for you now, what is bringing you joy this winter? As always, if you like this newsletter, please do share, subscribe and let others know.
Salaams
Thanks for this beautiful peak into your summer days
We are struggling with the cold. Had some snow as well which is very unusual
Take care
Love and hugs
Excellent read. Your best yet. May Allah bless you. Always love what you write, Love, Mum