The suffocating heat has finally lifted and the morning light has a post-apocalyptic orange glow. This wasn’t necessarily how I imagined the end of summer 2020 would be. It’s been a weird, stressful, challenging, joyful, and productive season. Not that I had any expectations because it’s so hard to plan for anything this year. I mean, we had plans back in January but those all went out the door. On paper, this summer reads like a season of achievements. We bought a house, left the city, slowly built the home we’ve always envisioned for ourselves, and I’ve been tirelessly working away on my book (which is a sentence fragment I never thought I would say or write in my life). While I feel guilty all the time that I don’t feel more grateful, a lot of days this summer I’ve been overcome with anxiety, stress, and sadness. For what reason? I don’t really know, but probably because it feels like the world is literally going up in flames (will people stop lighting fireworks during a drought and a heatwave?!), it’s almost election day, I’m overthinking my book, or when temps climb over 100 degrees (we don’t have AC) my body and mind literally short-circuit.

I hear your advice. Take a break. Go on a walk. Don’t watch the news so much. Find some joy today. I hear you. But it’s just hard, you know?

The squares below are just little snapshots of the more joyful moments in between. Quite mornings or evenings watering the garden. A brief escape from quarantine, finding a breeze and sunshine near some water. Grilling everything outside so we don’t overheat in the kitchen. Exploring our new neighborhood. Discovering our new favorite local restaurants. Not really missing San Francisco but missing the rest of the world. Not pictured: Watching Cobra Kai, evening drives around town with the AC blasting, drive-thru Starbucks runs, rekindling my love of Wendy’s, bike rides into Berkeley, and watching the MCU movies in chronological order.

I still find a reason to cheer up everyday but it’s been a hard year. At the moment I have my focus zeroed on October 1 (when my manuscript is due) and only hope I have a little bit more time and energy to actually, truly, fully rest.

In more lighthearted news, I made this Mango and Crispy Rice Sundae yesterday. I made it in about 3 minutes and ate it in 2 (shared with Reuben) because the ice cream started to instantly melt in the 90 degree temps. It was exactly what I need to cool down for a few minutes. Fresh, sweet mangoes. Creamy condensed milk. Cold vanilla ice cream. Crispy rice cereal. Crunchy coconut and sesame seeds. It was perfect and you should make one do if you need a cool pick-me up!

Mango and crispy rice sundae

makes 1

1. in a chilled glass, add 1/4 cup of cubed ripe mango

2. layer on 2 tablespoons of crispy rice cereal and a drizzle of condensed milk

3. add a scoop of ice vanilla ice cream (coconut ice cream would be excellent too)

4. layer on more cubed mango and another scoop of ice cream

5. finished with another tablespoon of crispy rice cereal

6. sprinkle on sesame seeds and toasted coconut

7. enjoy!