A Different Kind Of Summer
Reflecting on a summer that wasn't all that great, plus Where We Live, The JOY Of Disconnecting, The Sandlot, and Sunday Sauce.
“A writer—and, I believe, generally all persons—must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource. All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.”
- Jorge Luis Borges
Usually around this time of year I’m all like...
“How was your summer?!”
...in a genuinely enthusiastic voice.
I start my emails with...
“Hope you’ve been well and had a great summer!”
...while subconsciously thinking, “Because mine was great!”
But this wasn’t a great summer for me.
So this year when I ask, “How was your summer?” I’m much more cautious. Because while I still hope you had a great summer, I’m more aware that you may not have.
On the flip side, some people who know what I’ve experienced these last few months have said things like, “I know it’s been a really shitty summer for you.”
But that doesn’t feel right either.
I’ve always thought that to call an entire season of life “good” or “bad” was ridiculous.
There are about 90 days in a season.
2,160 hours.
129,600 minutes.
We’re going to boil all that down to a simple good or bad?
For me, parts of this summer were tragic and devastating. Other parts were joyous - even euphoric.
I had to show up for others in ways I couldn’t have possibly anticipated. And others showed up for me in ways I couldn’t believe.
I achieved new milestones with work, and feel a lot of momentum heading into the fall. At times, work was also exhausting.
I wasn’t home much. This past week was my first time sleeping in my own bed 7 nights in a row, since May. It was especially tough to maintain a good fitness routine.
But I ate so much delicious food.
I had some great times with friends, and carved out some quality time for solitude. Had way more time with family than I thought I would, which was often hard, but also nice.
I finished a great book. Saw my favorite band play live. Spent a week exploring Puerto Rico. Explored new parts of familiar places. And of course, enjoyed lots of time in nature.
I got a new car, got pulled over almost immediately, and talked my way out of a ticket for the first time in my life.
So if you ask me, “How was your summer?” My first response would be, “How much time do you have?”
Taking this time to reflect on the seasons of our lives helps us hold space for the complex and often conflicting nature of our own experience. When we learn to do that, we can better hold space for the complexity of others and the world at large.
That’s why we offer a 2-hour workshop at the end of every season to slow down and go inward. To extract the lessons from last season and move forward with clarity, confidence, and intention.
If you’d like to give yourself that time and space, we’d love to see you on Friday, September 27th from 12-2pm ET.
As Shivank shared after Winter Reflections & Spring Intentions:
“Participating in Third Nature reflection workshops is my favorite way to reflect on a season/quarter and ground myself in the intentions of the next chapter.”
This session will be in the place of Fridays With Third Nature on September 27th. Whether you participate in our regular Friday sessions or not, you can sign up for our seasonal reflection workshop here.
We’d love to see you there!
Fridays With Third Nature
September 20th | Where We Live
Before our reflection workshop on Friday, September 27th, I thought it’d be nice to reflect on one specific and significant aspect of our lives: Where We Live.
The environment in which we live has a huge impact on our health, happiness, creativity, productivity, and sense of connection - to ourselves, others, and the natural world.
This Friday, we’ll provide space for journaling and sharing in small groups, exploring questions like:
How has where you live impacted you?
Do you prefer a big city, small town, or something in the middle?
What does where you live say about you?
We’d love to hear your thoughts at this week’s Fridays With Third Nature.
We’re still riding the high from Third Nature Summer Camp 2024
And are already cooking up big plans for Summer Camp 2025.
Loved That
Below are some of the many things that made me say (out loud or in my head), an enthusiastic, LOVE THAT, in the last week. And I ended up, coincidently, working with my old format for this section - favorite thing I read, listened to, watched, and ate 🤓
Read: Another beautiful reflection on Third Nature Summer Camp, this time from Danielle Farage on LinkedIn: The JOY Of Disconnecting. Danielle’s article starts with:
“Imagine spending a weekend in community with conscious leaders, who you feel safe with to jump into deep conversations about your biggest dreams, goals and challenges.
Whether you’re sitting around a campfire, taking a stroll in nature, or stargazing at 4am, these individuals have the capacity and willingness to hold space for your vulnerability, without an ounce of judgement.
Well, that was my experience last weekend at Third Nature.”
Read the rest of the article to see how Danielle is bringing camp home - and into the workplace.
Listened To: Look At Me Now by Chris Brown, Busta Rhymes, and Lil Wayne, when it came on my shuffle while finishing off a great gym sesh on Saturday - especially Lil Wayne’s verse at the end. So senior year of college.
Watched: The Sandlot with Alexis and our friend Jennie, because Alexis had never seen it. When she heard the line, “You’re killin me Smalls!” she goes, “Ohhh that’s where that line is from??”
I love rewatching old movies and shows that were influential earlier in life, together with my wife now - it’s a cool way to show your life partner a piece of yourself from before you met, and build more shared language / inside jokes.
Ate: The Sunday Sauce home-cooked by my friend Ray, featuring perfectly crispy Chicken Parmesan + the best baked ziti (with Premio Italian sausage) I’ve ever had. Thanks for the comfort food Ray-Ray 👊
Thanks for tuning in!
I’d love to hear from you - what did you love this past week?
Feel free to reply with any thoughts, feelings, questions, or ideas that came up as you were reading.
Wishing you a great week ahead!
With gratitude,
Brian & The TN Team